Chronicle of an Hour and a Half - Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari (Award-Winning Fiction)

A masterclass in tension, localized panic, and the terrifying acceleration of modern technology. Chronicle of an Hour and a Half is the spectacular debut novel by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari that swept the literary circuit, proudly winning both the prestigious Atta Galata Bangalore Literature Festival Book Award for Best Fiction and the Crossword Book Award for Best Fiction.

Set deep within the dense, isolated foothills of the Western Ghats, the small village of Vaiga is currently battling a brutal, unrelenting storm. The landscape is completely paralyzed by endless sheets of torrential rain, uprooted trees, a dangerously overflowing river, and absolute power blackouts. However, an far more destructive, insidious storm is gathering momentum in the dark. It begins quietly as a localized whisper of an illicit romantic affair—a rumor that drives an angry man named Saud and his sons straight into Vaiga hunting for a man named Burhan.

Within minutes, the rumor escapes human control. Fuelled by the frantic, rapid-fire pinging of feverish WhatsApp messages circulating through a blind network of smartphone screens, the misinformation mutates into widespread mass hysteria. As the digital chatter spills onto the flooded physical streets, Vaiga erupts into a terrifying localized warzone, culminating in a mob baying for blood. Tautly written, claustrophobic, and deeply unsettling, this contemporary thriller chronicles the exact ninety minutes it takes for a peaceful, tightly knit community to completely fracture from within, offering a chillingly relevant critique of society's relationship with instant digital media.

Why This Double Award-Winning Indian Novel is Essential Reading:

• Critically Acclaimed Masterpiece: Celebrated nationwide as the winner of both the Atta Galata and Crossword Book Awards for Best Fiction, marking it as an indispensable milestone in contemporary Indian writing.

• Unrelenting, Real-Time Pacing: Maps out a gripping, high-octane 90-minute descent into chaos, making it an unputdownable single-sitting thriller.

• Chilling Social Relevance: Offers a raw, deeply accurate examination of digital echo chambers, fake news panic, and the frightening mechanics of mob psychology in modern rural India.