A review by emudds
A Burning by Megha Majumdar

dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this is such a hard book to rate i have very mixed feelings. i think the premise and the use of it to make comments on criminal justice, class, and religion in india are very interesting and meaningful. but, even as someone who loves tragedy as a genre, i'm not sure how necessary it was to include scenes like the graphic depiction of lovely's friend's medical procedure. maybe i've been spoiled by akwaeke emezi's depiction of trans experiences on that point though. i also felt like PT sir was almost a caricature, to the point that it almost undermined the ending events of the novel. it felt less like jivan was let down by the system (though that was still obviously true) and more the victim of his delusions than i would have liked. 
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