The Geopsychic Hyphen: Spectral Homeland Pull in Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne

Abstract

Roma Tearne's novel Brixton Beach explores the “Geopsychic Hyphen”, which is a mental pull of the diasporic people towards their lost homeland, even amid its harsh realities. The Sri Lankan Tamils displaced by the Sri Lankan civil war had no other option but to settle in foreign lands. This paper examines how the characters in the novel who fled Sri Lanka because of the conflict live with haunting memories of their homeland in Brixton. While acknowledging Vijay Mishra's theory of diasporic memory, this paper prioritises the geopsychic hyphen as its core analytical lens. The study highlights the invisible pull of homeland memories and the physical exile into a mental trauma and connection. It further traces gendered trauma as it passes across generations, highlighting intergenerational transmission. It shows the women's quiet endurance and creative outburst, revealing the intensity of the homeland pull. It also portrays how art is being used as a tool to portray the geopsychic hyphen, offering self-expression amidst parental breakdown and cultural loss. On the whole, the study takes diasporic research into a new platform by focusing on geopsychic hyphen, revealing how literature showcases the spectral pull towards the homeland and personal identity.