An impressive debut, by Megha Majumdar; definitely a writer to watch. She uses three linked insignificant characters living in poverty and through them, explores some huge themes: justice, politics, ambition, equality and how our integrity can be challenged fairly easily in the modern world of mass media and the drive to be noticed.
A dramatic and traumatic opening leads the spirited and talented Moslem girl Jivan to post a fatally careless political remark on Facebook. Superbly original Hijra character the energetic and passionate Lovely, could provide a desperately needed alibi to save Jivan, but is aching to become a film star, and cannot resist the offer made from a leading film producer. Add PT Sir to the mix, tempted with the offer of becoming a political heavyweight if he withdraws his support of Jivan, and her agony knows no end.
An exciting new voice who deserves and must be heard.
Thank you #NetGalley and #SimonsndSchusterUK for me pre-release download.

I've had a bit of a poor run of books set in India recently; all beautifully written but with too many sacrificing plot for prose, and substance for style. I was so overdue for a well-written book with stylish writing, compelling plot and - forgive the term - a proper ending. Megha Majumdar has ticked all my boxes with 'A Burning'.

Everything about this short book is deeply REAL. A terrorist attack, a foolish Facebook post leading to an online conflagration that's as hot and damaging as the attack, a political campaign that needs outrage to focus minds. The characters are excellent - a hard-working girl who has pulled herself out of poverty to get a job in a store and buy a smartphone, little knowing it will change her life forever. A well-meaning hijra who has to choose between fame and fidelity to a friend who tried to help her. A corruptible school teacher who misses a train and finds a 'cause'.

I liked that the book is set in Kolkata. Most authors writing about Indian cities go for Mumbai or Delhi. Kolkata brings a different flavour to the story. I liked that this is a book about aspiration in a country where everybody, no matter how poor, can dream of pulling themself up the social ladder and yet that can go horribly wrong or horribly right in completely uncontrollable ways.

I recall last time I was in India (I go most years - obviously not this one) reading or seeing a TV report about the dangers of smartphones in a society that's not had time to learn about fake news, where too many people believe whatever they've been told, or whatever fits their prejudices. I'd read about Muslim families slaughtered by irate neighbours because somebody had started a rumour about the killing of a cow; somebody with a grudge to settle.

Reading this book is like watching a car crash in slow motion. We start by assuming that nobody can possibly get prosecuted on the basis of so little evidence. And then piece by piece, everything slots into place with terrible consequences.

I loved it and recommend it highly. I was very fortunate to get a review copy from Netgalley but already had this on my Amazon wishlist. It did not disappoint in any way.

After spending a lot of time in India during my life on many long trips, I feel that I have an understanding for the culture and the way of life. Particularly the hierarchies and day to day politics. This book took me to the streets and reminded me of a home I never called home. I thought the premise was very clever and super relevant today as well as relevant of Indian culture including corruption and injustice too. I really did struggle to connect anymore with this book though. I felt like a lot of things were happening, but sometimes without much reasoning so it lacked depth for me.

Majumdar's "A Burning" is definitely a must read; set in contemporary India, the novel follows the lives of three characters after a violent terrorist attack has taken place and mainly deals, albeit superficially, with the themes of injustice, nationalism, terrorism and systemic impairment.

Three brilliant characters – Jivan, Lovely and PT Sir – that combine to give a really fresh and original viewpoint about life in modern India. There stories are all interlinked. Jivan is a young woman who witnesses a fire on a train, makes a comment on Facebook about the police being slow to help those who died, and finds herself arrested as a terrorist. She’s imprisoned for a year while her case is dealt with. Lovely is a hijra (young man living as a woman) who has dreams of becoming an actress and had been receiving English lessons from Jivan. PT Sir is a disappointed sports teacher in a girl’s school, who once taught Jivan, and who becomes involved with Pimala Pal and the local Jana Kalyan Party. All these stories are fascinating. Jivan’s time in prison, Lovely as she follows her acting dream, and PT Sir as he proves ‘useful’ to the party by giving false testimonies at court in order to help the Party ‘clear the streets’ of local villains who they know are guilty. Quite graphic in parts – with mob violence, back room surgery, and prison life, but it’s all very engaging. Recommended.

After witnessing a terrorist attack – a train, and the people locked inside, set on fire – Jivan is caught up in the outpouring of social media anger. Annoyed that her commentary on Facebook is not getting enough likes, she makes another, far more inflammatory, post:
“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? “
It might only have been throwaway comment on social media. Unfortunately for Jivan, a Muslim girl from the slums, it gets attention. A lot of attention. It also makes her a perfect scapegoat for authorities desperately seeking to be seen to be doing something.

A Burning is told from three points of view: As well as Jivan, facing increasing hardship and injustice while she is held awaiting trial, and desperate to get a fair accounting of her story to the press we are introduced to hijra from the slums, Lovely, who dreams of Bollywood and PT Sir, a teacher at the school Jivan used to attend who is lured by the promise of power and right-wing nationalism.
Each view point character has a very distinct voice. Jivan and Lovely’s chapters are both told in the first person. Jivan’s detailed and evocative recounting of her childhood is a contrast to first the confusion and then determination and clarity with which she meets injustice.
Lovely’s chapters are told in the present tense, in her distinct sing-song English, as she tries to stay cheerful and chase her dreams even when she is looked down on:
“Nothing is simple for a person like me, not even one hour on the train. My chest is a man’s chest, and my breasts are made of rags. So what? Find me another woman in this whole city as truly woman as me. “
Despite those around her who advise her to keep her head down and not attract attention, Lovely is determined to do the right thing in her support for, and testimony of, Jivan. This gets harder as public outcry at Jivan’s supposed crimes grows, especially when her support may cost her that Bollywood role she has dreamed of.

In contrast we see PT Sir’s seduction by nationalism from the third person. At a rally PT Sir stumbles upon when his train is delayed, he sees a man shouting his support while standing on the top of a jeep:
“How spirited this man is… How different from all the schoolteachers PT Sir knows. How free”
The initial temptation of freedom and excitement swiftly transitions to concern with his own personal power. PT Sir is encouraged to testify against terrible people who the police can’t quite find enough evidence to put away (and who just happen to be of the ‘wrong’ religion. Coincidentally, of course) and reward well. At first there are moments of doubt, despite his best efforts:
“For the first time, as he wanders down the familiar corridor, past the law library and down to the canteen, PT Sir wonders if the guard is paid by the party too. For that matter how about the courtroom clerks, and the judges, and the lawyers? “
The doubt doesn’t last as he becomes closer to the party leadership and his influence grows:
“The man leads him through the crowd ... and PT Sir feels eyes on him. He can feel the crowd thinking … who is this VIP? “

Majumdar writes powerfully and is deft in her portrayal of the inner voices of her characters. At times the politics behind the case can seem a little simplified, though no less urgent or important for it.

I was excited to read this thinking finally a book about what's happening in contemporary India. This is not that book. I couldn't be bothered to get past 25% because of the inauthentic characters, the lack of nuance and political insight. This simply appears to be a collage made out of newspaper headlines without any rhyme or reason. DNF

Update: I did finish it this weekend. And have upgraded it to 3 ⭐, which means a qualified like. There were some great moments, but they failed to come together in the end. The story relies too heavily on stereotypical details about India, which is slightly disappointing in this day and age; more so in a book with such timely themes. I also had a sense that I am not part of the intended audience, so perhaps my underwhelming experience can be attributed to that.

This feels like it's been written fast in a blaze of fury but this story of corruption, injustice and scapegoating in contemporary India lacks depth - the characters are their literary functions: the man with no integrity, the young woman who is a victim of the system - which gives it a YA feel. The writing makes some attempt to reflect social statuses through voice, but I'm not a fan of the quick-switch narrative which skips between PoV characters every few pages. Pacy, raging, a tad unsophisticated in its politics, this is a fast read that tells a story the cynics amongst us will be familiar with.

This book came out at just the right time. Thought-provoking, fascinating, and even dangerous, Majumdar has written an important book for our times. There are extraordinary themes here, I can't wait to talk to others about them. Thank you for the copy, and I'll be watching for more novels from her!

Jivan has seized her chances in life. Having grown up in one of Kolkata’s slums, there was not much to expect, but an NGO enabled her to go to school, learn proper English and see how the middle classes live. Yet, after grade ten, she decides to get a job to support her old and ill parents. The newly earned money also offers luxuries she has never known, cigarettes and even a smartphone. One evening, she witnesses an attack at her local train station and soon after, leaves a comment on Facebook which is widely ignored. Yet, when the culprits cannot be traced, somebody else is needed to pay for the victims and thus, Jivan suddenly finds herself in prison. This can only be a mistake, she is innocent and will soon be free again. But she is totally mistaken there.

Megha Majumdar’s novel is a story about dreams and a better life. Her three protagonists, whose stories are told alternatingly, all have their respective dreams: Jivan wants to live like the middle classes, be able to afford enough food and offer herself some small luxuries. Her friend Lovely, a hijra, dreams of a career in film business and is willing to do everything to promote her career. Jivan’s former teacher PT Sir dreams of power which is unexpectedly provided to him – at the cost of somebody else, but who wouldn’t look for themselves first?

“All of them are ignoring me. The public is wanting blood. The media is wanting death.”

The novel works on several levels, at one end of the scale, there is the personal point of view, at the other end, the political. Looking at the first, we have Jivan and Lovely from the very bottom of the Indian society. They are both working hard and so do Jivan’s parents, nevertheless, they depend on the mercy of others to advance a bit in life. More often than that, they are hit by injustice and at times, beaten in the very sense of the word. It is a highly divided society in which everybody’s place is fixed, upwards mobility is not something to be achieved easily.

On the political level, we see PT Sir and the next big party who have perfected the election campaign in telling people what they want to hear and framing incidents for their own benefit. The individual does not play a role, only in so far as individual politicians want to gain more power and money. One corrupt party is replaced by the next and the novel does not provide the slightest hope of any improvement of the situation.

For the reader, it is quite obvious from the start where all is heading, nevertheless, it is heart-wrenching to follow the unfairness and injustice which are done to Jivan. A great development of the protagonists who are not fully to blame, their behaviour cannot simply be explained by the flaws of their characters, it is the society they live in and to which they simply have adapted to survive. A strong novel which is surely not to be missed.

I have heard so much about this book and I wasn't at all disappointed by reading it. It shows a nowadays India from three perspectives.
First it's Jivan, a muslim girl who is accused of committing a terrorist attack. Her life is told in retrospection throughout the book and can stand for many other lives of muslim Indians. But what I considered more important was to see her hopes and ambitions for her life and how she had to fight for them. This perspective showed clearly that our ideas about what is good for unpriviliged people is not necessarily their idea of a good life.
The second perspective is of Lovely, a hidjra living in a community of sisters, who play a very diverse role in Indian society. With some sometimes brutal details we experience this life between a connection to God and contempt these people have to endure.
But the perspective I was impressed by most, is the perspective of PTSir. His political "career" shows clearly and frightfully the contents of present day Indian politics the way I haven't experienced yet.
This book is a recomended reading!

Set in the slums of Kolkata, 'A Burning' expertly interweaves three stories:
Jivan is a a poor Muslim girl who is hoping to better herself by going to college. By being in the wrong place at the wrong time she is unjustly accused of involvement in a terrorist attack on a train.
Lovely is a young hijra who wants to become a famous actress and who Jivan has been teaching English to.
PT Sir is a physical education teacher who has once taught Jivan and who gets involved in Hindu nationalistic politics.
I found the book enthralling, tightly plotted, atmospheric, full of detailed characterisations and great narrative and utterly convincing. It's an excellent first novel and I look forward to reading more from Megha Majumdar in the future.

I adored this, it was so much more than I expected. I have never read anything quite like this and i mean this in the best possible way.

REVIEW: A Burning by Megha Majumdar @megha.maj

The premise of this book really intrigued me. A teenage girl is arrested on charges of terrorism after sharing a video on Facebook. I find the anonymity of the internet providing a platform for people to say things they wouldn’t say vocally often without consequence to be troubling in this world consumed by social media. One simple share changed her life forever.

This story is told from the perspective of 3 characters, Jivan (a Muslim teenage girl) PT Sir (P.e teacher) and Lovely (a Hijra wannabe actress) and explores their desire to succeed, to rise above what the world dealt them but often at a cost. They each face a moral dilemma of choosing between what is right and what would benefit them personally.

I found it really interesting the way each chapter was written as the language, grammar and rhythm changed to reflect the character.

It covers several sensitive subjects, injustice, class, corruption, religious prejudices, gender discrimination, trans representation to name a few. It was insightful, heartbreaking and powerful. I finished this book and it stayed with me, even now several days later I find myself thinking about it.

Thank you to @simonschusteruk and @netgalley for an advanced copy. This book is out on 21st January 2021 and I predict it to have a big impact ❤️

One day, one terrorist attack and 3 lives changed forever. A Burning was an astonishing and thought provoking read that missed out all the usual stereotypes and didn’t play the, ‘everything has to turn out all right card’ and instead left you slightly uneasy in a good kind of way.
A Burning centered around Jivan, a young woman who witnessed a terrorist attack on a packed commuter train, at home later, she makes a comment on Facebook, that quite literally turned her whole life upside down. Arrested and charged with consorting and plotting with the terrorists she is thrown into jail and a long hard fight to prove her innocence ensued.
But it wasn’t just about Jivan’s struggle, it also examined the impact on those connected with, her, in particular, Lovely and PT Sir. Lovely, a hiraj, or in our world, Transgender, a would be actor, desperate for fame and fortune, Jivan’s English student and friend. PT Sir, Jivan’s PT teacher, the only male in a girl’s school who chanced upon a political rally that would transform his view and again, his own life.
As their connection to Jivan became public knowledge so the opportunities slowly began to open up for them. Were they exploiting their connection for their own benefit or was it those that sought them out, for the notoriety, for the attention that they would no doubt attract to their film, their cause that sought to exploit and manipulate?
For Lovely it was a way out of the slums, of the daily grind to make a living, the overriding ache to succeed in acting, to be revered and fated just like her idols.
For PT Sir, it was recognition, and respect, it was the power of his words and his actions that took over, his morals left behind.
But what about Jivan? JIvan stuck in prison as she awaited trial, her need to get her version of events out there took over, her naivety plain for all to see, as she became the scapegoat, the object of a public hatred and vitriol. The ending was shocking, but in a way not unexpected
I loved that the author chose to tell the story in the voices of the three main characters, a brilliant way to convey their thought and motives but also to provoke anger and a sense of injustice in this reader.
A Burning was brilliant and I am sure will garner a few prizes on publication.

I really enjoyed this one.
„A Burning” talks about corruption, religious prejudices and trans community.

The story is told from three points of view. Young Muslim girl Jivan, Lovely who is a hijra (trans woman) and PT Sir, overambitious gym teacher.

The whole thing was beautifully written and it was absolutely heart-wrenching .

As much as I loved this book, I hated the way author focused too much on PT Sir, power hungry corrupt man. I disliked him right from the start and while corruption and buying votes is a serious problem I think that wasn’t the most important part of the book.

I wish that the stories of Lovely (which was really lovely character) and Jivan were more complex. They definitely deserved their stories to be told with much more details.

Another thing which I loved and hated at the same time was descriptions of all the food the characters were eating, smelling or thinking about. I love food way too much and reading about all the delicious things made me hangry (hungry+angry 😂).

Overall reading “A Burning” was a nice experience and I can recommend it to everyone with clear conscience.

A Burning follows the lives of three people in Bengal. Jivan, a young woman who impulsively posts an anti-government message on Facebook, and becomes arrested for terrorism. Lovely, a hijra with dreams of moving above her socially displaced status. And PT Sir, a PE teacher in a school for girls, who has political aspirations which he’ll do almost anything to achieve.

Despite Jivan’s innocence, we explore her situation through the eyes of the public and the government. When an attack is made on a community, the rallying call is always to make someone pay for the destruction and loss. If the public demand this, often the government are those who must ensure a perpetrator is found and brought to justice.

In condemning Jivan, Majumdar makes a lot of commentary on public opinion, on mob mentality, and how this affects political decisions. Most believe everything the media is feeding them, none seem prepared to look into Jivan’s life for answers, almost everyone is baying for her blood. Despite the caste system being seriously at play here, doesn’t the above sound familiar to other countries I could name?

The other heartbreaking element here is the power Lovely and PT Sir had to ameliorate Jivan’s ordeal. Although their reasons for not doing so varied from each other, they both boil down to one point - ascension. We see the lives these people lead, in poverty, in slums, in social abasement, and we see them attempt to somehow to rise themselves above the parapet, at the same time dooming an innocent young woman forever.

I do think there was much more to see here, much more to be expanded upon and explored. I was surprised when the story ended, and felt as though more depth was needed - the whole thing felt very lean. I didn’t feel a great deal for the characters, and felt their lives could have meshed together a bit more than they did.

Nevertheless, it’s an important and engaging consideration of democracy, of relationships, of injustice, of corruption, and most importantly, of privilege.

A Burning tells the tale of three individuals all of whom are reaching for a better future and the lengths they will each go to. Set in contemporary India, Majumdar’s novel is beautifully written. It is enticing and engaging, with each character bringing a different perspective and narrative.
Jivan, Lovely, and PT Sir, find themselves entangled, each in separate ways to a terrorist attack which has taken place in an Indian village. How they are all connected is cleverly pieced together through each chapter and intelligently crafted so as to keep the reader on tenterhooks right until the very end.

This novel is a book of our time, and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a devastating insight into how one moment can change the course of an individuals life forever, and often the decisions we make and implications they have not only for ourselves, but also for others.

It is one of the best debut novels I have come across this year.

A Burning, the debut of Megha Majumdar, is a deftly executed political thriller with a beautifully drawn cast of characters.
The plot follows Jivan, Lovely and PT Sir through the events that follow a fatal terrorist attack on a train. In many ways, the book reminded me of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell, in that it provides a snap-shot of the political situation of a country but also comments on something more eternal, something that is, seemingly, an intrinsic part of human nature, to hope of improving one's lot. Majumdar manipulates both her characters and us, the reader, to question whether one's progression in life is worth it if it means that another might be suffering because of it. This political message, however, is ever balanced with humorous observation and characterisation, it is an entertaining read as well as a thoughtful and, at times, heartbreaking one.
The book's narrative and its message feels so timely, yes, (for the little I know of the politics of it) in India, but definitely in other countries worldwide. I hope that the book resonates with many and that it gets the success it deserves all over the world.

This is a book with a lot to commend it, but also one I didn’t completely connect with. It tells the story of an election in India, through the inter-connected lives of three regular Indians - a young woman who finds her life turned upside down after she makes a post on Facebook critical of the government, an aspiring actress and a gym teacher.
It provides a fascinating view of life and politics in modern India, but I found that the story and characters failed to really grip me.