White Elephant by Jeyamohan
White Elephant by Jeyamohan

White Elephant

A dazzling postcolonial inversion of Heart of Darkness set during the Great Indian Famine of 1878 that...
$26.40 USD
$26.40 USD
Please hurry! Only 191 left in stock
Author: Jeyamohan
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $26.40
White Elephant by Jeyamohan

White Elephant

$26.40
White Elephant by Jeyamohan

White Elephant

$26.40
Author: Jeyamohan
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description

A dazzling postcolonial inversion of Heart of Darkness set during the Great Indian Famine of 1878 that recounts its devastating cost to both life and human dignity.

It is 1878, and Aiden Byrne, an Irish police officer in Madrasapatnam, loyal servant to the crown and Queen Victoria, knows that there is no danger that he ought to fear in this heatblasted and famine-devastated land.

But when he discovers two laborers from Tudor Ice Company being brutally whipped in the countryside, he is dragged into a world whose surface he has only skimmed before. He sees the horrific conditions under which the local workers, members of the lowest rung of the caste system, process the mammoth blocks of ice that are carved out of frozen New England lakes and transported to India for use in the drinks and iceboxes of the colonial forces.

When the two workers disappear--presumably killed--Byrne is approached by Kathavarayan, a charismatic young activist belonging to a lower caste, who is looking to put things right. He sets Byrne off on a journey that brings him face-to-face with the bloody toll of the famine raging through the country--one that would kill more than eight million people before it was done--and forces him to grapple with his own precarious and complicated role in the machinery of the British empire.

In White Elephant, Jeyamohan uses surreal prose and vivid imagery to deliver a searing account of a crucial moment in the history of a nation, a city, and a people.

Author: Jeyamohan
Publisher: Fsg Originals
Published: 07/21/2026
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.30w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780374619428


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 06/29/2026
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2026

About the Author

Jeyamohan is a Tamil writer and literary critic based in Nagercoil, India. He is considered one of India's finest authors writing today, and his work examines and reinterprets India's rich literary and classical traditions. His considerable output includes novels, short stories, volumes of literary criticism, and books on philosophy.

Priyamvada Ramkumar translates literary fiction from Tamil into English. She was awarded a 2022 ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship and a 2023 PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant for White Elephant. She lives in Chennai, India.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review