Square Wave: A Novel - Mark de Silva

Carl Stagg, a writer researching imperial power struggles in 17th century Sri Lanka, ekes out a living as a watchman in a factionalized America where confidence in democracy has eroded. Along his nightly patrol, Stagg finds a beaten prostitute, one in a series of monstrous attacks. Suspicious of his supervisor’s intentions, Stagg seeks the truth with a fellow part-time watchman, Ravan, who hails from a family developing storm-dispersal technologies jointly funded by the Indian and American governments.

The watchmen’s discoveries put a troubling complexion on Stagg’s research, giving it new shape and impetus, just as the weather modification project begins to appear less about dispersing storms than weaponizing them.

By gracefully weaving a study of the psychological effects of a militarized state upon its citizenry with topics as diverse as microtonal music and cloud physics, Square Wave signals the triumphant arrival of a young writer certain to be considered one of the most ambitious and intelligent of his generation.

PRAISE
"I don't know of anything like [Square Wave]. [Mark de Silva is] doing something that I think few people have dared to do. The book fascinated me... it is a book that I found quite exciting, it's a book that I would recommend to people who love to read novels and see what a novel can do when it steps off the beaten track. [Square Wave is] an intelligent climate-thriller... possibly leading to a new way of thinking about the novel, or thinking about how the novel can be meaningful. It was thrilling. I think it's really an interesting book and I'll be reading it again and again."
—Michael Silverblatt, 'Bookworm' on KCRW

"A novel that looks our technocratic, militarized present in the face, Square Wave tells the story of a night watchman who discovers weaponized weather modification technologies. It sounds crazy, but in de Silva’s hands it all makes perfect (and terrifying) sense."
—Flavorwire

"Mark de Silva’s truly accomplished Square Wave defies all categories. Provocative, fascinating, and edifying, Square Wave is a fiercely intelligent and thrillingly inventive novel."
—Dana Spiotta

"Beautifully written... de Silva's novel is refreshing in its belief that disparate ideas can, in some sense, be united, that experimental music has something to say to experimental meteorlogy. De Silva's ambition in creating a work that aspires to the heights of the visionary is commendable in itself. History, violence, music, science, human interaction—Square Wave treats these not just as facts to be reported, but as dots to be connected."
—Slant Magazine

"Brilliant."
—3:AM Magazine

"The descriptive writing and sense of place are excellent, with the historical passages about internecine conflict in Sri Lanka especially captivating. The novel’s ambitious breadth makes for a reading experience that is somewhat challenging but ultimately meaningful."
—Library Journal

"[De Silva] explores history, chaotic weather, and life in an America where militarization has caused society to begin to curdle. With this wide-ranging novel, de Silva taps into a host of anxieties addressing the contemporary moment."
—Vol.1 Brooklyn

"Enticing and enthralling, [Square Wave] aims to hit all the literary neurons. This might be the closest we get to David Mitchell on LSD. Square Wave is the perfect concoction for the thirsty mind."
—Atticus Review

"A dystopian debut set in America with a leitmotif of imperial power struggles in Sri Lanka in the 17th century. Part mystery, part sci-fi thriller, the novel reportedly deals with “the psychological effects of a militarized state upon its citizenry”—highly topical for Americans today."
—The Millions

"The novel of ideas is alive and well in de Silva's high-minded debut, in which the pursuit of art, the exercise of power, and climate control are strangely entwined. Set against the backdrop of a crumbling America, this novel functions as a thriller where the confusions and obsessions of students are freighted with the dark reality they begin to uncover. De Silva isn’t shy about his intelligence, and he shouldn’t be; Square Wave is an intellectual tussle many readers will be happy to grapple with."
—Publishers Weekly

"Intriguing. A satisfying twist on more traditional dystopian fare... De Silva manages these varied plots skillfully."
—Kirkus Reviews

"A brilliant debut, ambitious with its ideas, extraordinary in their syntheses and execution, and its stylish prose lit up everywhere by a piercing intelligence."
—Neel Mukherjee

"Ideas run deep beneath the crackling surface of Square Wave. In this fascinating, provocative novel, Mark de Silva unearths the tensions of the past and follows them into a troubled future."
—Joanna Scott

"Square Wave is, above all, just excellent. Mark de Silva’s prose is simultaneously uncompromising and unassailable. The resulting work is kinetic with an almost wistful erudition that relentlessly but organically plumbs the intersections between art, politics, and our baser human qualities. Ultimately, the novel's defiance of easy categorization or explication charges the story with a compelling mental resonance that somehow feels instructive."
—Sergio De La Pava