Troubled Testimonies

Ever since the attacks of 9/11, fear of terrorism has seeped into how people think and feel about the world. Novels, which are among the most widely read and publicly visible responses to this unease, have returned to the theme again and again. This study looks at English-language fiction from India, using these upheavals as its starting point to examine how the cultural character of the period, and its effect on personal identity and a sense of belonging to the nation, appear in the writing.

It is presented as the first book-length study of terror in the subcontinental English novel, placing Indian works within a wider global context. It traces how fiction depicts the spread of terrorist violence across India and the cultural aftermath that follows. Its discussion of trauma, conflict and gender shows how the mix of present-day concerns with the grief and betrayal caused by terror changes these subjects. The author also proposes a new framework for literary and cultural criticism, called 'post-terrorism'.

The book is aimed at scholars and researchers in South Asian literature, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, history, politics and sociology.