A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK!A New York Times Notable BookFor readers of Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri, an electrifying debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise—to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies—and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India.In this National Book Award Longlist … contemporary India.
In this National Book Award Longlist honoree and “gripping thriller with compassionate social commentary” (USA Today), Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party, and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan’s fall. Lovely—an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor—has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear.
Taut, symphonic, propulsive, and riveting from its opening lines, A Burning has the force of an epic while being so masterfully compressed it can be read in a single sitting. Majumdar writes with dazzling assurance at a breakneck pace on complex themes that read here as the components of a thriller: class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning toward extremism. An extraordinary debut.
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Drama drama drama! Excellent read!
A Burning is an excellently crafted, utterly thrilling novel full of characters that I won’t soon forget. Megha Majumdar writes about the ripple effects of our choices, the interconnectedness of our humanity, with striking beauty and clarity. A stunning debut.
This is a novel of now: a beautifully constructed literary thriller from a rare and powerful new voice.
The kind of writing you feel in your chest. A solid debut that shines a light on injustice and greed, with relatable characters you root for, and others you want to kick in the shins.
This book provides a lesson in one way that justice does not happen due to the movements of a political society. The aftermath of a terrorist attack provides paths for people to rise and fall, as if nothing more than cogs in a machine. It’s really rather terrifying and very human.
Excellent–very creative
A Burning by Megha Majumdar is quietly beautiful and devastating. Its tone and pacing are measured perfectly. It is as funny as it is sad. This book won’t let you go, and you won’t want it to end.
Megha Majumdar’s soon-to-be published A Burning is the best debut novel I have come across in a long time. Somehow Majumdar succeeds in capturing the boundless energy and starry-eyed hopefulness of the country’s youth. A Burning signals the arrival of a new voice of immense talent and promise.
Jivan, living in the slums in India, tries to make a better life for her family by dropping out of school and getting a job. She also helps Lovely learn to read. Lovely is a hijra, which is a eunuch or a transgender person in India. When Jivan posts a Facebook message, it blows up in her face. She is arrested as a terrorist for bombing a train which killed 112 people. Lovely is an aspiring actress. PT Sir is Jivan‘s former phys ed teacher. Both Lovely and PT Sir testify at Jivan‘s trial. PT Sir becomes involved with the opposition political party in India and enjoys the prestige and money it gives him. In the story, the travesty is that people become enamored with wealth, and it overrides their sense of morality. It is a tragedy. Very sad.
As someone who has little knowledge on the everyday life of an Indian, this book was very eye opening. The writing style is smooth and really flows over the pages. I finished it in 2 days. It’s a rough subject but really taught me a lot about a culture I didn’t even know existed before.
Contemporary India, a page turner with indelible characters ( brilliantly realized particularly PT Sir, the lawyer, the politician and the judge). Only weak spot was Lovely – felt gimmicky. Highly recommended.
The three main characters, Jivan, Lovely, and PT Sir all have aspirations to rise above their current stations. Striving to escape the Kolabagan slum and join the middle class, Muslim teenager Jivan leaves school to support her parents. Lovely, a hijra (culturally defined as neither men nor women) studies English and takes lessons in the hope of becoming an actress.
PT Sir, a physical education teacher at an all-girls school, succumbs to the siren song of political power.
Jivan is arrested as a terrorist for the horrific fire-bombing of railway cars which result in the deaths of over one hundred victims. The evidence against Jivan is that, hoping for “likes,” she made an ill-advised post and had unknowingly communicated with a terrorist recruiter on Facebook. In addition, she just happened to be at the train station that night, carrying a parcel.
Both Lovely and PT Sir have the power to bear witness to Jivan’s innocence, but their choices lead to heart-rending consequences. Jivan is also ill-served by a self-aggrandizing newspaper reporter and a feckless lawyer.
The novel is skillfully woven into a tapestry of richly drawn characters with conflicting motives who surrender to the inescapable allure of fame. The author adeptly incorporates the clash of cultural norms and the devastating impact of religious discrimination and political corruption on powerless victims.
I loved this book–the voices it captured, the way it conveyed its setting and the people in it with such depth and nuance and economy. I love its humor, its liveliness, and above all, I loved the character Lovey. Majumdar captured her ebullience and I-can-do-it-against-all-odds spirit. She also conveyed the volatility of the internet, how an offhand post could be blown up to have dire consequences, or lead to desired fame. This novel captures a variety of contemporary phenomenon with verve, sadness and humor.
A solid debut, which I read in one sitting (it’s a relatively short novel). Set in present-day India, a young woman named Jivan makes a careless comment on Facebook and becomes the scapegoat for a train bombing, which becomes so politicized that two acquaintances—a former PE teacher and an aspiring actor/friend—must betray Jivan in order to preserve their own dreams. What overwhelmed me throughout is the precariousness of any individual’s life. One tiny wrong move, for any of these three characters, and their lives will be forever changed and hopes destroyed. Corruption is so pervasive that rewards for hard work and decency simply don’t exist anywhere. I might have appreciated some small sign of fair play; it would have added nuance. But as it stands, the book is devastating and relentless. Spoiler alert: this is not *Slumdog Millionaire.*
I highly recommend this novel. When Jivan, a young Muslim woman in India, posts something on Facebook about a train that was burned, she’s arrested as a terrorist. Told by multiple narrators, the story moves quickly.
“What can words do? Not very much”
This book blew me away with its twists and turns focused on power and the power of words. However, I almost didn’t finish it. It’s a book that has made my stomach hurt for 2 days. I LOVED the writing, but the story doesn’t hold together well.It’s gotten a lot of publicity according to the cover but I read because it was given to me. I’d give it a 5 for the writing, but a 2 for the story.
Megha Majumdar spins a riveting tale of three characters who attempt to ascend from poverty in India’s slums to a middle class existence .One young woman is accused of terrorism with dire consequences . Two of the characters with a combination of passion,betrayal and selfishness are able to escape the madness and chaos of their situations and decide to abandon the young woman being held in jail when they realize it will affect their chance at a better life . The need to reach their own dreams is more important than the desire to save another life .The authors writing is captivating and makes us question at what price will we go to secure our own need to succeed One looks forward to the next work from this brilliant writer who so masterfully delves into the human condition !
Debut work by an author to watch. Muslim girl, India, social media gone wild, corruption, wild disparity of fortunes…riveting.
A wonderful debut novel. The writer weaves the characters and their story effortlessly. The plot is so simple yet so complex. One action can have such consequences. She has woven a tale of chance, choice and consequence. Highly recommend this novel.