Something to Tell You: Spaces for Dialogue in Postcolorial London

Abstract

This paper discusses Hanif Kureishi’s latest novel, Something to Tell You (Kureishi 2008), arguing that in it London is represented as a space for encounter between different inter-cultural identities. Among these identities, the interactions between white and British Muslim characters will be our main focus. Utilizing theories of postcolonial London by such scholars as John McLeod (McLeod 2004) and Sukhdev Sandhu (Sandu 2003), and theories of bodily encounter by thinkers such as Sara Ahmed, we suggest that in this novel London appears as a locus where various bodies come together to explore their hyphenated identities. We contend that spaces where sexual acts take place transmute into spaces for dialogue. Despite the British Asian characters’ attempts to distance themselves from London, by traveling to other cities such as Karachi, New York and Bombay, they always return to London as “home.” We will focus in particular on the novel’s ending, set in Britain just after the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the public transportation network. In this post-7/7 world, the Islamic religion becomes a central marker of identity for Kureishi’s previously secular characters. London as a space becomes increasingly compartmentalized and possibilities for dialogue are limited.