The release date for the English version of 'A Burning' by
Megha Majumdar is Jun 2020. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri fans will love this gripping debut book about three iconic characters who want to rise—to the middle class, to political power, or to movie stardom—but end up enmeshed in the aftermath of a modern-day Indian tragedy.
A thoughtless Facebook remark accuses Jivan, a Muslim girl from the slums who is driven to succeed in life, of carrying out a terrorist assault on a train. A cunning gym teacher named PT Sir attaches his ambitions to a right-wing political party and discovers that Jivan's downfall is connected to his own rise. The tale is full of love, hope, and comedy as Lovely, an appealing outcast with an enthusiastic voice and dreams of greatness, finds the alibi that will liberate Jivan, but it will cost her everything that she cherishes.
A Burning is so skillfully condensed that it can be read in a single sitting, but it has the power of an epic, from its taut, symphonic, propulsive, and compelling opening words. Class, fate, corruption, justice, and the experience of facing significant challenges while pursuing lofty goals in a nation trending toward radicalism are just a few of the intricate issues Majumdar covers in this fast-paced, brilliantly assured work. A remarkable first performance.