Something to Tell You: Spaces for Dialogue inPostcolorial London

This paper discusses Hanif Kureishi’s latest novel, Something to TellYou (Kureishi 2008), arguing that in it London is represented as aspace for encounter between different inter-cultural identities. Amongthese identities, the interactions between white and British Muslimcharacters will be our main focus. Utilizing theories of postcolonialLondon by such scholars as John McLeod (McLeod 2004) andSukhdev Sandhu (Sandu 2003), and theories of bodily encounter bythinkers such as Sara Ahmed, we suggest that in this novel Londonappears as a locus where various bodies come together to exploretheir hyphenated identities. We contend that spaces where sexual actstake place transmute into spaces for dialogue. Despite the BritishAsian characters’ attempts to distance themselves from London, bytraveling to other cities such as Karachi, New York and Bombay, theyalways return to London as “home.” We will focus in particular onthe novel’s ending, set in Britain just after the 7/7 terrorist attacks onthe public transportation network. In this post-7/7 world, the Islamicreligion becomes a central marker of identity for Kureishi’s previouslysecular characters. London as a space becomes increasinglycompartmentalized and possibilities for dialogue are limited.