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Table of Contents
About The Book
A girl walks through the slums of Kolkata holding an armful of books. She returns home smelling of smoke, and checks her most prized possession: a brand-new smartphone, purchased in instalments. On Facebook, there is only one conversation.
#KolabaganTrainAttack
On the small, glowing screen, she types a dangerous thing…
‘If the police didn’t help ordinary people like you and me, if the police watched them die, doesn’t that mean that the government is also a terrorist?’
Set in contemporary India, A Burning is the story of three unforgettable characters, all dreaming of a better future, whose lives are changed for ever when they become caught up in the devastating aftermath of a terrorist attack.
Jivan – a poor, young, Muslim girl, who dreams of going to college – faces a possible death sentence after being accused of collaborating with the terrorists.
Lovely – an exuberant hijra who longs to be a Bollywood star – holds the alibi that can set Jivan free, but telling the truth will cost her everything she holds dear.
PT Sir – an opportunistic gym teacher who once taught Jivan – becomes involved with Hindu nationalist politics and his own ascent is soon inextricably linked to Jivan’s fall.
Taut, propulsive and electrifying, from its opening lines to its astonishing finale, A Burning confronts issues of class, fate, prejudice and corruption with a Dickensian sense of injustice, and asks us to consider what it means to nurture big ambitions in a country hurtling towards political extremism.
A Burning is a novel for our times and for all time.
#KolabaganTrainAttack
On the small, glowing screen, she types a dangerous thing…
‘If the police didn’t help ordinary people like you and me, if the police watched them die, doesn’t that mean that the government is also a terrorist?’
Set in contemporary India, A Burning is the story of three unforgettable characters, all dreaming of a better future, whose lives are changed for ever when they become caught up in the devastating aftermath of a terrorist attack.
Jivan – a poor, young, Muslim girl, who dreams of going to college – faces a possible death sentence after being accused of collaborating with the terrorists.
Lovely – an exuberant hijra who longs to be a Bollywood star – holds the alibi that can set Jivan free, but telling the truth will cost her everything she holds dear.
PT Sir – an opportunistic gym teacher who once taught Jivan – becomes involved with Hindu nationalist politics and his own ascent is soon inextricably linked to Jivan’s fall.
Taut, propulsive and electrifying, from its opening lines to its astonishing finale, A Burning confronts issues of class, fate, prejudice and corruption with a Dickensian sense of injustice, and asks us to consider what it means to nurture big ambitions in a country hurtling towards political extremism.
A Burning is a novel for our times and for all time.
About The Author
Photograph by [Elena Seibert]
Megha Majumdar is the author of two bestselling novels. Her debut novel, A Burning, was longlisted for the US National Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, among other honours. A Guardian and a Thief is longlisted for the Women’s Prize, an Oprah’s Book Club Pick, winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, a finalist for the US National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize and longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Majumdar has received a Whiting Award, as well as fellowships from Civitella Ranieri and the Hawthornden Foundation. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, she now lives in New York.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner UK (July 6, 2022)
- Length: 304 pages
- ISBN13: 9781471190292
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Raves and Reviews
‘Megha Majumdar’s A Burning is an uncanny debut, a fierce condemnation of modern India - the corruption, racism, misogyny, the feverish obsession with celebrity – this is the antithesis of shrill. The author, although still in her early thirties, has the composure of a mature artist, and has produced a political novel that makes its wider points through the subtle, intimate exploration of three characters’ lives.’
– Sunday Times
‘This is a short, sharp shock of a novel that shows us how easy it is to rally a mob, to kill a Muslim woman and to silence a whole community. These are things we all know on paper, but the power of a great novelist – and Majumdar has a Dickensian flair and scope – is to transform what we simply know into something we can feel. What a treat to start the year with a talent as fresh as this’
– The Times
'A big hit in America last year, this buzzy debut about the impact of a terrorist attack in a Kolkata slum on three connected characters is full of hot-button global topics, including violent nationalism.'
– Metro
‘Powerful. […] Majumdar’s page-turning thriller seeks to open our eyes to the role of persecution in populist politics’
– Mail on Sunday
‘Majumdar conjures up three notably effervescent, intense voices’
– Daily Telegraph
‘Astonishing […] a novel of exceptional vision and craft. It offers a memorable portrait of Kolkata, a deeply moving human story, and provocative reflections on our times’
– Times Literary Supplement
‘Melding political thriller with dreamy bildungsroman, this searing debut follows three characters in the aftermath of a devastating terrorattack. […] An unflinching take on corruption and its consequences’
– i Newspaper
'A brilliant character study about politics and power, this assured debut moves at a thriller's pace but with a meticulous eye for detail.'
– Nikesh Shukla
'A Burning is a political thriller so charged and tense, it will keep you reading after lights out.'
– Red Magazine
'Immaculately constructed, acidly observed and gripping from start to finish, A Burning is a brilliant debut.'
– Guardian
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): A Burning
Paperback 9781471190292
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Author Photo (jpg): Megha Majumdar Photograph by [Elena Seibert](0.1 MB)
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