Return to the Scene of the Crime: The Returnee Detective and Postcolonial Crime Fiction

Return to the Scene of the Crime is a crime novel that explores the complexities of personal identity, transitional justice, and civil violence in the post-colonial world by defying generic expectations. It congregates novels set in South Africa, China, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Somalia.

Format: Hardback
Length: 188 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

A crime novel, with its unsettling and paradoxically comforting narrative structure, has been recognized for its ability to alleviate social anxieties. However, what happens when guilt and innocence become more ambiguous in a world where certainty is elusive?

Return to the Scene of the Crime delves into the realm of an investigator embarking on a journey back to the post-colonial world in search of knowledge. Alongside solving the case at hand, they must also confront the intricacies of their own origins. Through the lens of five authors, Kamil Naicker highlights how these writers challenge generic expectations and illustrate the complexities of personal identity, transitional justice, and civil violence in the post-colonial world.

This book brings together novels set in South Africa, China, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Somalia, creating a tapestry of diverse perspectives. By focusing on the returnee figure and exploring the potential of world-making through the explosion of a familiar narrative form, it intervenes in literary studies. However, it is important to note that the print edition of this book is not available for sale in Sub Saharan Africa.

Weight: 530g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032633787