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Fieldwork as a Sex Object
A new novel of incels, influencers and AK-47s – from the Women’s Prize-shortlisted poet and provocateur
‘One of the most urgent voices of tomorrow’ Harper’s Bazaar
I mute the audio. I replay the video four times.
It is not me. It is my fucking face.
Amrita Chaturvedi goes by Amy. Amy identifies as a communist on Twitter (her profile omits a stint on Big Brother and a millionaire daddy running the show at the High Court of Delhi).
Then reality hits: a deepfake porno of her forwarded around by WhatsApp aunties goes viral. On her birthday, Amy wakes to a mob stoning in the digital town square that could cancel the likes of Kim Kardashian.
Her executioners? A cartel of unhinged virgins styling themselves after V for Vendetta – except these keyboard warriors are on a ruthless crusade to wipe out desi jezebels and Make India Hindu Again.
A muscular, monumental work of internet literature in which the online turns offline turns bloody, Fieldwork as a Sex Object is not a novel you read but a novel that reads you: what are you prepared to risk for what you claim to believe?
‘One of the most urgent voices of tomorrow’ Harper’s Bazaar
I mute the audio. I replay the video four times.
It is not me. It is my fucking face.
Amrita Chaturvedi goes by Amy. Amy identifies as a communist on Twitter (her profile omits a stint on Big Brother and a millionaire daddy running the show at the High Court of Delhi).
Then reality hits: a deepfake porno of her forwarded around by WhatsApp aunties goes viral. On her birthday, Amy wakes to a mob stoning in the digital town square that could cancel the likes of Kim Kardashian.
Her executioners? A cartel of unhinged virgins styling themselves after V for Vendetta – except these keyboard warriors are on a ruthless crusade to wipe out desi jezebels and Make India Hindu Again.
A muscular, monumental work of internet literature in which the online turns offline turns bloody, Fieldwork as a Sex Object is not a novel you read but a novel that reads you: what are you prepared to risk for what you claim to believe?
240 pages, Hardcover
Published May 21, 2026
About the author
Meena Kandasamy
32 books848 followersDr Meena Kandasamy FRSL is a poet and provocateur who has spent two decades triggering the far right. She’s been translated into over 20 languages.
Her previous novel, When I Hit You, was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, Jhalak Prize and Hindu Literary Prize. It was also Book of the Year in the Financial Times, Observer, Daily Telegraph and Irish Times. Her poetry collection, Ms Militancy, went viral across South Asia. In 2022, PEN Germany awarded her a medal for being ‘a fearless fighter for human rights.’
Meena has two sons. Her new novel, Fieldwork as a Sex Object, is out now.
Her previous novel, When I Hit You, was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, Jhalak Prize and Hindu Literary Prize. It was also Book of the Year in the Financial Times, Observer, Daily Telegraph and Irish Times. Her poetry collection, Ms Militancy, went viral across South Asia. In 2022, PEN Germany awarded her a medal for being ‘a fearless fighter for human rights.’
Meena has two sons. Her new novel, Fieldwork as a Sex Object, is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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July 22, 2026You can be sure of one thing with this novel. As with her earlier works, Kandasamy does not flinch. She is loud, brave and voices facts without sugarcoating. In Fieldwork as a Sex Object, Amy/Amrita, an activist-communist comes across a deep fake sex video. She knows the woman in the video isn't her but she has her face. Hate towards her spread like a wildfire on social media—trolls, hate comments, you name it all. If you are a woman on social media, you will be all too familiar with the strategy of Indian trolls (either you being affected directly or you witnessing them tearing apart another woman on socials). This book puts that experience on the page.
Also interesting was how Amy, being a privileged person with an influential family, sees her views vs those of her parents. The privilege seeps in, sometimes she even welcomes it, but there is always that space where the reader can debate what path the protagonist should have followed. I also like how the novel shows Amy as someone fighting for a cause that is not her lived experience. And when she is responding back to the deep fake video, which is something that personally affects her, her privilege also makes an appearance.
Something I did not expect from the book was how funny it was. Some passages were dark and funny in equal measure. (for example her mom sounding relieved that Amy is alright and referencing sex videos in the same breath). Many laugh worthy moments in this one, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dark, sometimes situational.
Read this for a peek into India's right wing troll army, right wing politics, classism and casteism, the world of incels, social media rage, cancel culture, sexual agency. I did wonder whether some parts of the politics subplot was needed/overdone. But then it wouldn't be a Meena Kandasamy book without it; she is fiercely unapologetic and proud of about her political views; so it is only natural that they find a mention in the novel.
Funny and full of rage.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Threads | X (Twitter) | Newsletter
Also interesting was how Amy, being a privileged person with an influential family, sees her views vs those of her parents. The privilege seeps in, sometimes she even welcomes it, but there is always that space where the reader can debate what path the protagonist should have followed. I also like how the novel shows Amy as someone fighting for a cause that is not her lived experience. And when she is responding back to the deep fake video, which is something that personally affects her, her privilege also makes an appearance.
Something I did not expect from the book was how funny it was. Some passages were dark and funny in equal measure. (for example her mom sounding relieved that Amy is alright and referencing sex videos in the same breath). Many laugh worthy moments in this one, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dark, sometimes situational.
Read this for a peek into India's right wing troll army, right wing politics, classism and casteism, the world of incels, social media rage, cancel culture, sexual agency. I did wonder whether some parts of the politics subplot was needed/overdone. But then it wouldn't be a Meena Kandasamy book without it; she is fiercely unapologetic and proud of about her political views; so it is only natural that they find a mention in the novel.
Funny and full of rage.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Threads | X (Twitter) | Newsletter
June 20, 2026
What a brilliant fucking read. Any publisher who passed on this needs to go find their spine before they decide whose voice gets to be heard, and how loud.
The first few pages bear a tone and vocabulary you’ll recognize instantly if you’re a chronic hellsite user, and that worried me. I thought the whole book was going to coast on that register. I was wrong, and happily so.
Every choice in this book is like a planned trap that springs later. For instance, there is a frequent dropping of brand names that grated on me for almost the first third of the book. It later turns out to be the whole argument: a character eventually tells Amy (the protagonist) that you can’t love what you don’t know, and asks what she actually knows of the women she claims to fight for besides a lipstick shade or a sunglasses brand. After I read that, every logo in the book read like an indictment. The brad names are treated like a ceiling on how well anyone here is capable of knowing anyone else. The brilliance of the book only kept getting brighter and more fiery from thereon.
Underneath the chaotic plot, it’s a book about how fast a meme becomes a mob becomes a body. Deepfakes, Hindu nationalist incel armies, cancellation as blood sport, and a protagonist who learns there’s no such thing as a safe distance from any of it anymore. It’s also, somehow, insanely funny, the kind of funny that only comes from genuine rage.
Read it if you’re woman. Read it if you’re an Indian. Read it if you’re not. Read it before you vote, while you still have one.
The first few pages bear a tone and vocabulary you’ll recognize instantly if you’re a chronic hellsite user, and that worried me. I thought the whole book was going to coast on that register. I was wrong, and happily so.
Every choice in this book is like a planned trap that springs later. For instance, there is a frequent dropping of brand names that grated on me for almost the first third of the book. It later turns out to be the whole argument: a character eventually tells Amy (the protagonist) that you can’t love what you don’t know, and asks what she actually knows of the women she claims to fight for besides a lipstick shade or a sunglasses brand. After I read that, every logo in the book read like an indictment. The brad names are treated like a ceiling on how well anyone here is capable of knowing anyone else. The brilliance of the book only kept getting brighter and more fiery from thereon.
Underneath the chaotic plot, it’s a book about how fast a meme becomes a mob becomes a body. Deepfakes, Hindu nationalist incel armies, cancellation as blood sport, and a protagonist who learns there’s no such thing as a safe distance from any of it anymore. It’s also, somehow, insanely funny, the kind of funny that only comes from genuine rage.
Read it if you’re woman. Read it if you’re an Indian. Read it if you’re not. Read it before you vote, while you still have one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2026
Sharp, smart, rushed in a good way but maybe my expectations were too high, liked it less than When I Hit You and Kandasamy’s poems
July 21, 2026
3.75 ⭐
June 27, 2026
Raw and real, poetic and cathartic
The title is one of the quickest readings that I have done of a so-called work of fiction. This is a book that must be read for the effortless flow with which it integrates privilege and power shapes, sustains and destroys our lives. What stands out is how Amrita, aka, Amy, as a character never bereft of her gendered individuality, her political outlook and commitment to questions about duality and social or racial privileges that are often reduced to bantters and asides of hypocrisy of voyeuristic story telling.
The title is one of the quickest readings that I have done of a so-called work of fiction. This is a book that must be read for the effortless flow with which it integrates privilege and power shapes, sustains and destroys our lives. What stands out is how Amrita, aka, Amy, as a character never bereft of her gendered individuality, her political outlook and commitment to questions about duality and social or racial privileges that are often reduced to bantters and asides of hypocrisy of voyeuristic story telling.
June 13, 2026
Yellowface if it was good.
July 15, 2026
So appreciative to Soft Skull, Edelweiss, and our author for advanced access before pub day in November 2026.
This fiction, isn’t necessarily fiction entirely as I’m sure this scenario happens allllll too frequently as the incel community has vilified AI to sexually exploit women and children on the daily.
In this tale however Amrita (Amy) has discovered a deep fake porno of herself circulating the internet and what’s at play is darker than the realities of a sex positive entity.
This fiction, isn’t necessarily fiction entirely as I’m sure this scenario happens allllll too frequently as the incel community has vilified AI to sexually exploit women and children on the daily.
In this tale however Amrita (Amy) has discovered a deep fake porno of herself circulating the internet and what’s at play is darker than the realities of a sex positive entity.
July 9, 2026
EVERYTHING IS ABT SEX, EXCEPT SEX, WHICH IS ABOUT POWER!!!!
this is easily one of my fav reads this year and was also the quickest. but it’s brevity doesn’t discount it’s genius. meena kandasamy, the fucking woman you are. what a wonderful book to have read as a hardly semi famous retired twitter shitposter and activist who used to go on and on about being anti establishment on the internet with a father who is, quite literally, the establishment. i wanna gift this to my well meaning but blinded by privilege sobo/sodel peers. so raunchy and so funny, i haven’t laughed out loud at a book in sooo long. and the ending was genuinely so shocking. i had to sit down for 5 minutes and catch a breather after how breathlessly i read it. also i love the ottessa moshfegh cameo in between. what a book what a book!!!!!!
this is easily one of my fav reads this year and was also the quickest. but it’s brevity doesn’t discount it’s genius. meena kandasamy, the fucking woman you are. what a wonderful book to have read as a hardly semi famous retired twitter shitposter and activist who used to go on and on about being anti establishment on the internet with a father who is, quite literally, the establishment. i wanna gift this to my well meaning but blinded by privilege sobo/sodel peers. so raunchy and so funny, i haven’t laughed out loud at a book in sooo long. and the ending was genuinely so shocking. i had to sit down for 5 minutes and catch a breather after how breathlessly i read it. also i love the ottessa moshfegh cameo in between. what a book what a book!!!!!!
July 25, 2026
"They forget that liberation is bloody, with dirt under its fingernails- and that when it arrives, it won't stop to check if it's trending."
A very unflinching and bold book. I didn't love the writing so much, and at some points I felt judgemental because I was waiting for some kind of emotional breakdown and/or revelation, but I had to remind myself that everyone dealing with deepfakes and sexual trolling is dealing with it afresh because 1. these are obviously new issues and 2. no one talks about them publicly. This means of course that every story must be heard repeatedly and ridiculously.
A very unflinching and bold book. I didn't love the writing so much, and at some points I felt judgemental because I was waiting for some kind of emotional breakdown and/or revelation, but I had to remind myself that everyone dealing with deepfakes and sexual trolling is dealing with it afresh because 1. these are obviously new issues and 2. no one talks about them publicly. This means of course that every story must be heard repeatedly and ridiculously.
July 28, 2026
Easily one of my best reads this year. 10/10. No notes.
It’s an incisive portrayal of what it means to be a woman online - specifically, an Indian woman online. A deepfake of the protagonist goes viral, and the rest of the novel unfolds through the aftermath.
It’s a difficult read because of the subject matter, but an easy one because of the lightness in Kandasamy’s writing and the humour she weaves through it.
The stylistic choices are fantastic. The relentless self-aware intellectualization of literally everything was at once exhilarating and deeply saddening.
It’s an incisive portrayal of what it means to be a woman online - specifically, an Indian woman online. A deepfake of the protagonist goes viral, and the rest of the novel unfolds through the aftermath.
It’s a difficult read because of the subject matter, but an easy one because of the lightness in Kandasamy’s writing and the humour she weaves through it.
The stylistic choices are fantastic. The relentless self-aware intellectualization of literally everything was at once exhilarating and deeply saddening.
July 3, 2026
Amy has upset some powerful people and revenge is served on her in the form of a deepfake porno with her as the star. A fascinating twisty turny book cataloguing how she faces this, who supports her through it and who is really behind it. Brutally honest and worryingly real, it shows us who really wields the power.
June 16, 2026
This book read me.
Overidentification with the Amrita except in her moments of bravery
A car without a break heading straight to a crash
Moments of humour, and insight, beautifully constructed sentences and even an invitation to participate-- flimsy dupattas obscuring the horror.
Overidentification with the Amrita except in her moments of bravery
A car without a break heading straight to a crash
Moments of humour, and insight, beautifully constructed sentences and even an invitation to participate-- flimsy dupattas obscuring the horror.
Read
June 5, 2026yeah this is incredible
Review of advance copy
A typical Meena K novel with plenty of well-meaning angst, but slightly overdone.
June 21, 2026
3.5 stars
Interestingly written, terrifying in parts, character is symbolic of a larger group of savarna comrades, liked how she roasted liberals while describing the terrors of the right.
Interestingly written, terrifying in parts, character is symbolic of a larger group of savarna comrades, liked how she roasted liberals while describing the terrors of the right.
June 28, 2026
🎧
Not my usual real, but interesting, funny and somewhat empowering
Not my usual real, but interesting, funny and somewhat empowering
July 7, 2026
Love this!!!
July 11, 2026
My first DNF for this year..Maybe ill try and get back to it..but for the moment i did not enjoy whatever little bit I read.
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July 16, 2026More discourse than story.
July 29, 2026
Some of the lines in this book were DIVINE
Found myself clapping and guffawing
Such an insightful and sharp take
Found myself clapping and guffawing
Such an insightful and sharp take
June 22, 2026
’Pain is the most patient lover, waiting in the wings while we busy ourselves with the mundane, knowing that when we run out of distractions we'll run towards it, arms open.’
This was different from what I was expecting. And worse.
This was different from what I was expecting. And worse.
July 7, 2026
This book is well written and smart if a bit too clinical and theory-forward for my tastes. The premise is fabulous: a semi-famous woman wakes up one morning to find that a deepfake porn video of her has gone viral. Add to this the fascinating and complex POV of an Indian woman living in London's "Little India" and you have a fantastic feminist novel that examines how race and caste complicate questions about sex work.
This book has good parts, but it's ultimately a bit too polemical for me. If it were longer and more story-focused, I do think it could be a banger.
This book has good parts, but it's ultimately a bit too polemical for me. If it were longer and more story-focused, I do think it could be a banger.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews