Thanks to Netgalley, I got to read the ARC.
Please, please check the trigger warnings and content warnings before reading.
I felt so uncomfortable while reading this, and I think that was kind of the point.
I'm not white, so I was hoping to actually relate to this story, a brown girl who's a victim of colonialism and patriarchy. But it wasn’t really about that. Honestly, I’m not sure what it was about, and I don’t think the story itself fully knew either. It felt scattered and disconnected, and at times the plot just felt lost.
The story felt like it was directed at white people and maybe relatable mostly to Indians, and I, being neither, couldn’t find a way to really connect with it.
It was angry (rightfully so), but it didn’t manage to express that anger in an impactful way.
I liked how some chapters were talking to the reader, but the quizzes? Nah
That said, there were still quotes I really loved.
I don’t know how I wanted the story to go, maybe more communication, maybe more focus on how they were doing it. But maybe this is just how it tends to go most of the time anyway.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1.5/5

I must admit I went into this story expecting something else and I think I just misunderstood the synopsis. I feel Nina McConigley has a unique writing style that at times was really captivating and fun. However the more I read the more I just felt bored and the less I wanted to pick it up. Thinking back it really did feel like a bunch of story stories from this character's life smashed together to make one bigger story and that just didn't work for me. The story felt all over the place and although I can see how it all ties up in the end I just ... didn't care? I did really like the little pop quiz sections that popped up. The upside is that this was a short story, the downside is that it felt like 300 pages.

I'm really interested in reading McConigley's other book, Cowboys and East Indians, a short story collection.

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley is a fearless, searing portrayal of girlhood in the margins told through the eyes of Georgie, a teenage girl caught in the inescapable tension between her Indian heritage and her American upbringing. Set in the quiet ache of Middle America, the novel captures a young woman’s fractured identity: her love for her small town juxtaposed with a yearning for something bigger, safer, freer.

Georgie is both victim and hero who is wounded yet defiant. Her voice pulses with anger, confusion, and aching vulnerability as she tries to protect herself and her sister from the looming threat of familial violence. McConigley writes with startling originality, blending razor-sharp critiques of patriarchy, colonialism, and white fragility with the quiet tragedy of silence of choosing peace over safety, of sacrificing oneself to keep a family from falling apart.

What sets this novel apart is McConigley’s unflinching gaze and the fresh, electric rhythm of her prose. However, the narrative occasionally drifts into lengthy tangents detours into the lives of side characters or meditations on geology and fishing—that, while rich in texture, sometimes slow the urgent pace of Georgie’s story. These digressions add depth but occasionally left me skimming, eager to return to the raw immediacy of Georgie’s voice.

Still, this is a novel that lingers in a brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable way. McConigley has crafted a bold, necessary work that doesn’t flinch in the face of trauma but instead stares it down, daring us to do the same.

Set in the 80s, Agatha Krishna and Georgie murder their uncle. This novel focuses on sisterhood, family, childhood trauma, and making sense of a confusing youth.

First off, I really loved the writing style. The mix between the time periods kept me engaged, and I enjoyed the quick switches back and forth. I also really enjoyed the random quizzes that seemed like they were random inserts but revealed a little bit more about Georgie.

I’ll be honest - from the description, I thought there would be more focus on their uncle’s murder, but the main focal point of the novel was sisterhood and growing up as an other in rural Wyoming. Despite my very different expectations, I still really enjoyed this!

Georgie, while devastated by her uncle’s abuse, is more devastated by the loss of her sister as her other half. The reveal about Aunt Devie was, in my opinion, well done - there were traces of her severe unhappiness scattered throughout the novel that you don’t put together until it’s already laid out for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! Thank you to NetGalley, Pantheon, and Nina McConigley for the eARC!

This is a heavy read at times. The writing style here is very unique and frank, which I appreciate.

The book deals very directly with generational trauma, and the complexity of reclaiming identity. It’s intense at times , even uncomfortable, but that discomfort feels intentional, forcing you to sit with the weight of its themes. A challenging and rewarding read that leaves a lasting impression. ★★★★☆

The premise of this book had so much promise, but it got lost in overly literary attempts to wax poetic. I was pulled in by the desire to know why these two sisters killed their uncle, but I ended up feeling like I was reading collected essays of growing up. I was not engaged and had no desire to read further once I realized why the murder took place. If the murder had been the focus with accompanying rising action, I would have been invested. Instead I was just bored and did not finish the book.

Sharp, Thought-Provoking, and Quietly Bold

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is an absorbing and sharply written novel that blends literary fiction with a slow-burn mystery in a way that feels both fresh and unsettling. Nina McConigley has a distinct voice, intelligent, restrained, and quietly fearless and she uses it to explore identity, displacement, and the complicated legacy of colonialism through a murder that feels almost secondary to the deeper unraveling of cultural tension.

The protagonist is layered and conflicted, and her inner world is rendered with a careful, almost poetic hand. What I appreciated most was how McConigley doesn’t rush, the narrative simmers with unease, revealing insights about race, belonging, and violence in both subtle and startling ways. The setting plays a huge role too, atmospheric and symbolic, making the story feel even more grounded.

I’m giving it four stars instead of five only because the pacing may not be for everyone, the mystery unfolds gradually, and readers expecting a traditional crime novel might find it a bit too introspective at times. But if you come in ready for a character-driven story that’s as much about questions as it is about answers, this book delivers in a powerful, lingering way.

A smart and quietly haunting novel that I’m still thinking about.

I really wanted to like this book, and the premise of the story is something that I do really like. However, I didn't like the moments where the author starts talking to the reader. Every time that happened, it took me out of the story and felt like a lecture.
I don't want to leave a review on my Instagram. I do think there are people out there that will enjoy this style of writing, it just wasn't for me. I don't want to post a review that might prevent someone from reading this book and finding out for themselves if they enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the opportunity to read this book.

Unfortunately, this book was a disappointing read for me. The title was intriguing, the premise had me hooked, but the plot simply did not deliver. I was expecting a dark comedy, in the vein of My Sister, the Serial Killer or Bunny, but this fell short in both aspects. Firstly, I was not expecting the heavy emphasis on sexual abuse that occurred on what felt like every page. This should have been at least hinted at in the blurb. Also, while I loved Georgie's voice, it was hard to hear it under the rambling and vague plot. The author seemed to be trying to take on a wide range of topics, from racism to Indian history to sisterhood and beyond. The same points were repeated over and over, making it feel redundant and confusing. The lack of consistency in plot, time, or even space, along with the large cast of characters, made the novel incredibly hard to follow. The quizzes and little inserts were fun in a nostalgic sort of way, but mostly felt distracting.

It's summer, it's the 80s, and Georgie and Agatha Krishna must now handle the change of sharing their Wyoming home with family arriving from India—their aunt, their uncle, and their younger cousin. But Georgie and Agatha Krishna also decide to take change into their own hands and kill their uncle.

Sharp and even uninviting, this book grapples with violence and trauma both shouldered alone and shared. Georgie pens her experiences with the wit and dark humor of a teenager trapped by the Western experience and her own family. Her writing, at first, has a disjointed feeling, but as everything unfolds, the seemingly massive jumps into history lessons and magazine quizzes shrinks to a fraction of an inch. The chaos of coming of age in a violent home in a violent country comes together in a handful of time experienced by two teenage girls that will come to haunt them forever.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is sharp, strange, and totally unforgettable.
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It opens with a jaw-dropper: two Indian-American sisters may have killed their uncle—and the youngest one blames the British. Set in small-town Wyoming in 1986, it’s part murder mystery, part immigrant family drama, and all delivered through the brilliantly cheeky voice of 12-year-old Georgie Ayyar.
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Told with biting humor and deep emotional undercurrents, this debut explores what it means to grow up between cultures, inherit generational trauma, and still try to find your own way.
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Unflinching, clever, and layered—I couldn’t put it down.
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If you like literary fiction that takes risks and says something big, this is your next read.

Ihttps://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTj4ERNwx/'m still reeling from the bold, inventive, and fiercely original debut novel that has left me breathless. The story begins with a shocking event: the death of an uncle at the hands of his tween nieces, Georgie and Agatha. But it's Georgie's private confession to the reader that draws you in, weaving a complex tale of family secrets, violence, and identity.

Set in rural Wyoming in the summer of 1986, the Creel sisters' lives are turned upside down with the arrival of their aunt, uncle, and young cousin from India. As Georgie navigates her complicated relationships and grapples with her Indian-American identity, her cheeky and unflinching narrative voice had me hooked.

With its unique blend of teenage angst, cultural exploration, and dark humor, this book is impossible to put down. Georgie's story is infectiously infused with the trappings of teenhood, from magazine quizzes to self-discovery. Don't miss this one – it's a game-changer!
hna, and her understanding of herself as an Indian-American in the heart of the West. Her account is, at every turn, cheeky, unflinching, and infectiously inflected with the trappings of teendom, including the magazine quizzes that help her make sense of her life.

Couldn't put it down.
Great book
5 out of 5 stars

A really engaging story! The writing is spectacular and the story held my attention. I really like how you know what happens at the beginning and then you go through what brought the protagonist to do what she did (commit a murder, obviously). There were some experimental forms throughout, which I could have done without.

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for the ARC!

I am so sad that this book was not for me. It's a really short book which I guess can be a positive. The plot was promising. I never enjoy leaving less than rave reviews. Truly disappointed about this one.

Holly Collins

A quick read but definitely not for everyone. The author's writing style makes the plot quite confusing for most readers. The interspersed quizzes interrupted the flow of the story and didn't add anything to it

This was weird and sharp in all the best ways. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is part coming-of-age story, part cultural critique, and part “what the actual fuck,” and somehow it works. The voice is biting and clever, and the way it unpacks colonialism, identity, and violence through a darkly funny lens is genuinely impressive. The quiz formats and structural detours were unique—sometimes distracting, but ultimately bold and effective. It’s a little chaotic, a little brilliant, and very much its own thing—and I respect the hell out of that.

This was a quick read, and not because it’s 224 pages, because I skimmed through a LOT of it.

The story revolves around two sisters who kill their uncle and the aftermath it brings. This and the fact it was set in the 80s was super intriguing to me.

Unfortunately, there was too much randomness that didn’t contribute to the plot, including quizzes throughout the story which didn’t make sense to me.

This wasn’t for me. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review.

The Ayyars dipped into our lives like a tea bag into the whiteness of a porcelain cup. They muddied the water and made our house feel small….” In the summer of 1986, tween narrator Georgie Ayyar Creel; her sister, Agatha Krishna; and their amma (mother) welcome newly arrived relatives from India to their cramped home in rural Wyoming. Moving into Agatha Krishna’s bedroom are Vinny Uncle, Amma’s beloved but useless younger brother, whom she has not seen in 14 years since marrying geologist Richard Creel; Auntie Devi, Vinny’s bossy wife; and their son, Narayan. Tensions quickly arise, and so does the sexual abuse when their uncle targets Agatha and then Georgie: “Vinny Uncle made us shadow people.” Forced into silence by their abuser, the sisters decide he must die. The accidental death of a cat provides the murder weapon and sets the siblings’ deadly plot into motion. This highly original debut novel by the author of the award-winning short story collection Cowboys and East Indians is a darkly funny coming-of-age tale with a touch of murder and a haunting twist. Celebrating girlhood and sisterhood in the 1980s, it’s also a touching portrait of Indian-American teens, caught between cultures, in the American West.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for letting me read this arc but I had to DNF it around 40%. I wanted to like it but the deeper I got into the book the less interested I was to pick it back up.
I feel the story got lost , however it did transport me to memories of growing up. The little nuggets of history was a nice touch but the story just felt all over the place. The different names for the same character really was confusing. Right off the bat I know why the sisters killed their uncle. The story did need to be trigger warning about the topic of SA. This story had potential but I just feel the storytelling wasn’t my style to read.

I won't lie... I don't think I am the audience for this book. It was a quick read, which I liked. Below are my thoughts:

- I appreciated the inclusion of a family list and house layout, even if I didn’t use them. The plot and historical fiction aspect drew me in, and the writing flowed well—though some long paragraphs dragged.
- Chapters 7 and 8 felt redundant and unnecessary, possibly an ARC issue, but worth revisiting.
- The main issue: the story felt less about the murder and more focused on the message that “white people are racist.” While colorism is a valid theme, it overshadowed the emotional depth I was hoping for—like sisterhood and childhood memories.
- Name-switching between "Agatha" and "AK Akka" was confusing, and the lack of content warning for a sexual abuse storyline was jarring. It felt underdeveloped and included for shock rather than depth.
- The magazine quiz chapters added little and were easy skips. The timeline and setting weren’t clearly defined, and there were too many random digressions (e.g., fishing, oil) that felt like filler.
- Overall, the book had strong moments, but uneven execution and missed emotional depth held it back.