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A review by larslovesbooks
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Wow. Just Wow. I dont even know where to start. First thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC Audiobook. I decided to listen to it as I was working and just got swept away. Finished it in one sitting!
This story is so real and so sad and so relentless. Jivan is a young girl who makes a stupid comment on facebook (havent we all?) and is then accused of aiding a terrorist plot and taken to jail. The story takes us through her imprisonment, court case and the aftermath. It also introduces us to a wealth of characters that she interacted with. PT Sir was a former teacher of hers who fuelled with petty resentments and political ambition, leverages Jivan's plight to push his nationlist agenda. Lovely is a Hijra - in this case seen a s a transgender woman (who is also revered as having a close connection to divinity). She is an aspiring actress who was being tutuored by Jivan on how to speak English. She is initially a staunch defender of Jivan but lverages the publicity of the case to push her acting career.
Another main character in this book is the might of the state. There are several interludes and sub plots where we see how poor people are marginalised - like the case of 2 men being charged to enter a new mall (a tactic designed to keep poor people our), or how a moslem family is killed in a village because a cow goes missing, and ofcourse how Jivan is treated. I've read articles about the rise of nationalism in India and how thats creating religious tensions and how women are raped or molested - which are themes you see reflected in this book.
The author does a very deft job of tackling the issues and the characters who all have issues and are morally ambiguous. Even Jivan who is innocent of her charges isnt completely pure - what she is, is young and you cant help but think her actions would have very different consequences in oher countries. I always enjoy reading books with morally grey characters but in this case you also have a view of the unfairness of the world which is what makes it very real for me as there's nothing that can be done about it and not everyone gets their comeuppance. Jivan remains ever hopeful whilst the people who you would think will support her are corrupted or bought in different ways.
I would love to read an Indian person's take on this and how realistic the portrayal is. I really enjoyed this - the audio narrators did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and enacting the story. The end finished me but I loved it. Excellent book and highly recommended from me.
This story is so real and so sad and so relentless. Jivan is a young girl who makes a stupid comment on facebook (havent we all?) and is then accused of aiding a terrorist plot and taken to jail. The story takes us through her imprisonment, court case and the aftermath. It also introduces us to a wealth of characters that she interacted with. PT Sir was a former teacher of hers who fuelled with petty resentments and political ambition, leverages Jivan's plight to push his nationlist agenda. Lovely is a Hijra - in this case seen a s a transgender woman (who is also revered as having a close connection to divinity). She is an aspiring actress who was being tutuored by Jivan on how to speak English. She is initially a staunch defender of Jivan but lverages the publicity of the case to push her acting career.
Another main character in this book is the might of the state. There are several interludes and sub plots where we see how poor people are marginalised - like the case of 2 men being charged to enter a new mall (a tactic designed to keep poor people our), or how a moslem family is killed in a village because a cow goes missing, and ofcourse how Jivan is treated. I've read articles about the rise of nationalism in India and how thats creating religious tensions and how women are raped or molested - which are themes you see reflected in this book.
The author does a very deft job of tackling the issues and the characters who all have issues and are morally ambiguous. Even Jivan who is innocent of her charges isnt completely pure - what she is, is young and you cant help but think her actions would have very different consequences in oher countries. I always enjoy reading books with morally grey characters but in this case you also have a view of the unfairness of the world which is what makes it very real for me as there's nothing that can be done about it and not everyone gets their comeuppance. Jivan remains ever hopeful whilst the people who you would think will support her are corrupted or bought in different ways.
I would love to read an Indian person's take on this and how realistic the portrayal is. I really enjoyed this - the audio narrators did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and enacting the story. The end finished me but I loved it. Excellent book and highly recommended from me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Sexual assault