How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER by Nina McConigley opens with this provocative title and a confession, tweens Georgie and Agatha Creel, have killed their uncle, and they blame the British.
It’s the summer of 1986 and Georgie and Agatha’s uncle, aunt, and young cousin – newly arrived from India – move in with their family in rural Wyoming. Because it’s what families do. Until the sisters decide that Uncle Vinny must die. Placing a little bit of antifreeze each day into his Mountain Dew, he gradually grows sicker. When he dies, they blame the British – i.e. colonialism – the abuse of power over people, cultures, and countries. And it’s not a far leap.
A murder mystery? A satire? Nina McConigley’s debut novel is so much more: an ode to Wyoming, the author’s home state, a look back at 80’s culture, an examination of the impact of colonialism across generations, and the rural immigrant experience. Told in the fresh voice of 13-year-old Georgie, a girl who reads teen magazines and takes all the quizzes (Is He Bad for You? How Do You Know if a Boy Likes You?), who watches the wedding of Charles and Diana, writes letters to her pen pal, and plays the role of Sacagawea in a play. A teenager like all teenagers? Or one that carries the weight of history?
“It is an acknowledged truth that to be a girl, is to be extracted. Girls, we are taken. For once, we were the ones who were going to extract,” Georgie tells us, adding that they killed their uncle on August 14, one day before the anniversary of India’s independence.
HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER is a thought provoking read. For weeks now, I keep returning to one or another of the themes in the book. I wrestle with what’s happening with our immigrant neighbors in Minnesota, the powerlessness of so many against this administration, and I welcome the clear voice of Nina McConigley and her novel into the conversation. I hope you will read it and listen to my conversation with Nina on Superior Reads on January 29th at 7pm and the 31st at 6am. This is Lin Salisbury with Superior Reviews.
