Nebraska

“A dizzying, occasionally nausea-inducing masterwork that defies categorization or prurient interest . . . The flashes of insight about [Datta’s] characters are brilliant, and frightening . . . the depictions of grief in Nebraska border on the transcendent.”
—Joumana Khatib, The New York Times Book Review

“Datta explores the impact of enormous colonial forces on the unconscious of a single individual, her narrative shifting between time lines and continents in a performance that is both dizzying and energizing.”
—The New Yorker

“A Masterful, Time-spanning Doorstopper . . . In a narrative as obsessively detailed and heavily footnoted as Pale Fire, Datta moves through time, perspective, and space — from Nebraska to India to Scotland — to probe the forces big and small that led to the central tragedy.”
—Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture

“A weird, complex, thought-provoking look at guilt, recovery, the justice system, and family.”
—Shelbi Polk, Shondaland

“Robust, multifaceted . . . In style and depth, the book recalls Pale Fire, Infinite Jest, and Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift, all big-swing metafictions that upend our understanding of history and humanity. / A sharp, cross-continental tale of heartbreak and identity.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred

“A whip-smart Nabokovian novel of filicide and psychoanalysis . . . Not only is the novel pleasingly arch—Roy views Jean-Louis as a narcissist, partly due to his grating habit of introducing himself by his full name each time they meet—but it leaves the reader with much to ponder on the human condition . . . It’s endlessly stimulating.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred

“[A] deeply human story . . . Datta plunges the reader into this complex and intricate narrative, rapidly moving between characters, timelines, and wide-ranging topics. Her tale demands careful attention and an adventurous spirit from the reader. An ambitious and layered family saga by an original voice.”
—Rebecca Hopman, Booklist

“Astonishing. A marvel of storytelling. Monica Datta’s Nebraska is made of the stuff of great and uncompromising ambition. An exploration of a family enduring the oceanic and the unthinkable, with meandering byways into everything imaginable, from Lacanian psychoanalysis to postcolonial architecture to Icelandic sheepdogs. A novel at once ferociously intelligent, humane, and bursting at the seams with splendor.”
—Shobha Rao, author of Indian Country

“Monica Datta is a remarkable, original voice. This is a novel of labyrinthian depth and ambition, but ultimately, a thrilling, deeply human portrait of a family. I was left stunned, in the finest way possible, for a long time afterward.”
—Nayantara Roy, bestselling author of The Magnificent Ruins

“In Nebraska, Monica Datta works her magic as one of our most compelling, humane, and pioneering contemporary storytellers. While deftly braiding past and present, far-flung places and multiple voices, mysteries and histories both private and public, Datta gives us the unforgettable story of the Chatterjee family, their tragedies and jubilations. Nebraska is a brilliantly imaginative achievement, one that should bring Monica Datta a whirlwind of adventurous new readers.”
—Bradford Morrow, author of The Forgers Trilogy and The Prague Sonata

“Nebraska is a novel that thinks hard and feels deeply, and its pathos cuts as sharply as its acerbic humor. Every absurdity is saturated with grief. Blazingly smart and soaringly ambitious, Datta trusts her reader to keep up, and the rewards of keeping up are truly profound.”
—Stephanie Soileau, author of Should the Waters Take Us

“Datta has designed an intricate labyrinth that lures you in, while exposing unreachable corners of the human psyche. Compelling!”
—Ledia Xhoga, author of Misinterpretation