Darkmotherland

A web of intrigue fails to cohere in this clumsy doorstopper from Upadhyay (Mad Country). After two earthquakes devastate the fictional Himalayan nation of Darkmotherland, dictator Giridharilal Bhagirath Kumar becomes prime minister, earning the nickname PM Papa from his supporters and “the Hippo” from his detractors. Among the latter is a band of radicals led by former academic Shrestha, also known as Madam Mao, who plot Kumar’s defeat. His allies include the wealthy Ghimirey industrial family, whose dealings are sweetened by the despot, but a Ghimirey son, Bhaskar, follows Shrestha, and he and her daughter, Kranti, fall in love. The first half of the novel chronicles Bhaskar and Kranti’s courtship, engagement, and marriage against the backdrop of Kumar’s tightening rule and Shrestha’s revolutionary plotting. The second half tracks Kranti’s search for answers after Bhaskar is mysteriously murdered. All the while, Kumar’s male lover, Rozy, gender transitions and plots a dramatic coup of her own. Though admirable in its ambition, the novel fails to justify its length. Subplots are neglected for hundreds of pages, and frequent allusions to real-world figures—Taylor Swift, Madonna, and a “President Corn Hair” with a Twitter habit—undermine Upadhyay’s efforts at worldbuilding. Readers will have a tough time with this. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Jan.)