'How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder' is a dark new novel about sisterhood

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is about two Indian-American sisters growing up in rural Wyoming in the 1980s. They experience abuse that drives them to seek revenge. The story explores split identities and the complex feelings that arise from life under colonialism and surviving abuse. The author wanted to subvert expectations and tell the story her way, incorporating themes of family, identity, and the long-lasting impacts of historical injustices. The book delves into the sisters' bond and their struggle to find their way back to each other after a traumatic event.

Middlemarch, written by George Eliot, is a novel that delves into the complexities of provincial life in 19th-century England. The story revolves around the intersecting lives of its characters, particularly Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate, as they navigate marriage, vocation, and social class. Eliot critiques the conventional romance narratives of her time by portraying marriage as a complex and often problematic institution. The novel also explores themes of idealism, self-interest, hypocrisy, and the constraints on women's lives. Set in the fictional town of Middlemarch between 1829 and 1832, the novel incorporates historical events such as the Great Reform Act of 1832 and early developments in medicine. Eliot's realistic portrayal of ordinary human life, with its quiet tragedies and small triumphs, has made 'Middlemarch' a masterpiece of English literature.

The novel is written in the form of letters, primarily from Celie to God and later to her sister Nettie. It depicts Celie's journey from a life of oppression and abuse to one of independence and self-realization. The story explores themes of feminism, gender equality, sexuality, and the struggles faced by African American women in the rural South during the 1930s and 1940s. Celie's life is influenced by various characters, including her lover Shug Avery, her sister Nettie, and her husband Albert, as she discovers her own strength and finds joy despite the hardships she faces.