Transmission (novel)

It primarily follows the narrative of a naïve Indian programmer, Arjun Mehta, who emigrates to the United States in hopes of making his fortune.

When he is laid off by his virus-testing company, he sends out e-mails containing a malignant computer virus in a bid to keep his job, unintentionally causing global havoc.

Parallel to Arjun's story is that of Guy Swift, the seemingly well-to-do English CEO of an advertising company, and his struggle to keep his business going as the virus spreads.

Transmission deals with how technology, namely computers and the Internet, are rapidly shrinking the world, and addresses both the positive and negative ramifications of this change.

[4] Throughout the novel, Western and/or formerly colonial powers continually have the upper hand over minority characters, not only in the case of the Indian immigrants like Arjun who are taken advantage of by the corporation Databodies, but in the mass deportation plan that Guy encounters in Belgium.

Symbolically alluding to its continuing influence in contemporary society is the bust of Leopold II present as Guy outlines his advertising campaign about "seamless networking and open borders".