A Burning

<i>What can words do? Not very much.</i>

Well, I thought this was pretty incredible. I wanted to read this book because of the James Wood review in the New Yorker, and I was IMPRESSED. I read it in almost a single session, a testament to the book's energy and vibe. The voice, the pace, the details... it's all so wonderfully done. The themes - how to be a moral person, how to hold onto your self-respect in face of a society that tries to shame you, the rise of rightwing nationalism and how this connects to the exciting desire to belong, to feel part of something greater, to have control over your life - it's all executed very well. You can really tell that the author is an editor in her IRL job, and must have edited the shit out of this book to make it tight, tight, tight.

This is definitely the kind of book I would recommend to people in terms of 'this is how you can pull off a first-novel.' It reminded me of <i>Hurricane Season</i> in terms of its energy and readability.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This novel is POWERFUL. I felt my heart in my mouth as it powered through to the climax, against the backdrop of lives that feel at times as fragile as glass: taken along by luck and chance, mercy or injustice, feeling largely predestined by the circumstance they were born into.

This is the story of a political change, as a right wing party clamour for power, to better those less fortunate in the country. But when some rise, others must fall.

Majumdar has such a direct voice. She shines through as each of the three protagonists of this novel, each believable in their stories, despite their discordance to one another at times. They all find themselves at different places in that intricate balance between what is and what is possible.

Jivan, with her poor roots, leaves school and strives to establish herself in her work and supporting her parents, with a sincere drive to better her position. The novel opens with her stating a powerful opinion on social media, and follows the aftermath as she is incarcerated for this.
"I could have been an ordinary person in the world. Ma, I could have gone to college.. This is what I have seen in the movies. Then I too would have given scraps of my meal to the stray dogs. I too would have had nostalgic corners of campus, corridor romances. I might have studied literature, and I might have spoken English so well that if you had met me on the street, Ma, you would not have known me! Ma, you would have thought I was a rich girl."

Coming to her defence is Lovely. Shunned by parents for being transgender, but finding home in a Hijra household, Lovely learns English from Jivan and aims for the stars, as an actress.
"My love for Azad, I am telling myself, is existing in some other world, where there is no society, no god. In this life we were never getting to know that other world, but I am sure it is existing. There, our love story is being written."

However, stung by a perceived ungratefulness from Jivan, her old teacher PT Sir, finds himself taking the stand against her. His is a story of a professional career, but longing for more, enchanted by the rising political party's promises.
"PT Sir walks down the road, feeling the protective wing of the party sheltering him. He opens his mouth and gulps air until a beggar looks at him strangely. The Muslim man’s family perished, nobody is denying that, but he himself will be all right. Maybe that is all that can be salvaged."

The voices here show the different sides of the spectrum: exploring morality, politics, ambition, integrity, the right to be heard. Each strives towards fulfilment, but their paths diverge and clear choices need to be made, sometimes forsaking others whose footing is as shaky as their own.

It feels a novel where everything hangs in the balance, but where a grinding certainty also presides. A powerful depiction of the time and place it is set, giving the reader a window into this.

Great writing, precise but full. There are some graphic moments, such as rape and descriptions of surgery, but Majumdar handles them with such sensitivity. The plot is simple, but so well driven and although a relatively short book, it certainly left me with that eerie feel of having been completely immersed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.