A Burning: The most electrifying debut of 2021

Megha Majumdar's debut novel A Burning is a powerful exploration of modern India, focusing on the aftermath of a terrorist attack in a Kolkata slum. The novel delves into themes of corruption, racism, misogyny, and the obsession with celebrity, and is praised for its nuanced portrayal of three characters and its Dickensian sense of injustice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 17 March 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Immaculately constructed, acidly observed, and gripping from start to finish, A Burning is a brilliant debut. The Guardian "Megha Majumdar's A Burning is an uncanny debut, a fierce condemnation of modern India - the corruption, racism, misogyny, the feverish obsession with celebrity - this is the antithesis of shrill. The author, although still in her early thirties, has the composure of a mature artist, and has produced a political novel that makes its wider points through the subtle, intimate exploration of three characters' lives. Sunday Times "This is a short, sharp shock of a novel that shows us how easy it is to rally a mob, to kill a Muslim woman, and to silence a whole community. These are things we all know on paper, but the power of a great novelist - and Majumdar has a Dickensian flair and scope - is to transform what we simply know into something we can feel. What a treat to start the year with a talent as fresh as this - The Times A big hit in America last year, this buzzy debut about the impact of a terrorist attack in a Kolkata slum on three connected characters is full of hot-button global topics, including violent nationalism. Metro "Powerful. […] Majumdar's page-turning thriller seeks to open our eyes to the role of persecution in populist politics - Mail on Sunday "An evocative insight into class, corruption, injustice, and power dynamics, this poignant tale makes for memorable reading Cosmopolitan "Majumdar conjures up three notably effervescent, intense voices. Daily Telegraph "Astonishing. […] a novel of exceptional vision and craft. It offers a memorable portrait of Kolkata, a deeply moving human story, and provocative reflections on our times Times Literary Supplement "Melding political thriller with drama.

Weight: 274g
Dimension: 142 x 197 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471190292