A BURNING BY MEGHA MAJUMDAR

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BOOK NAME: A BURNING

AUTHOR NAME: MEGHA MAJUMDAR

GENRE: POLITICAL FICTION

PUBLISHER: PENGUIN INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://amzn.in/d/cmCaXcE


BOOK COVER IMAGE



BOOK REVIEW

The only mistake Jivan could have avoided as a Muslim living in the slums of India is posting a snide remark on the government on Facebook after a local train is set ablaze by terrorists, killing many innocent lives. She is arrested immediately and is scrutinised as a terrorist sympathiser or a terrorist herself everywhere - in the court, in the open and online. Only two people have the power to change her fate - Lovely, a Hijra to whom she was teaching English, and her PT sir. Lovely was an alibi for her innocence, but proving it comes with a heavy cost of losing everything she always dreamt of. And her PT sir, who has risen from an underpaid teacher to a right-wing politician, must decide if he must choose the righteous or himself and his party.


I still can’t believe I shelved this book for a good four and a half years after buying it. Thanks to my book drought, I picked it from my bookshelf's hidden nook, only to be shaken to my core. I couldn’t forgive myself for doing this, but I also believe a story always finds you when the time is right. And I almost needed this kind of book to revive me now. 


I had not picked it up earlier because I had seen many negative reviews for the book, but only after reading it did I understand why they were so. Jivan was a mirroring image of underprivileged Muslims living in this country, fighting scrutinisers and vigilantes every day. Jivan, though vulnerable, was a force, a power so fierce, representing the faces of those who succumbed to such instances in reality. The PT sir’s moral dilemma, in turn, reminded me of Balram from The White Tiger and was written to perfection. Lovely’s story, which used deliberately unaesthetic prose, was relatable even though it was a bit stereotypical. 


I can’t tell you how often I closed the book shut in frustration, only to take in a deep breath and proceed further. There was a rage boiling inside me throughout because I think I always knew how real it was and how it would end. I can’t recommend this book enough, and it’s going into my top reads this year with no doubt whatsoever. A courageous debut and a book too honest and powerful to be missed. 


P.S. This is a plot-driven story and not character-driven, and also, the English is very basic and not lyrical, sometimes intentionally, which is very much fine with me.



MY REVIEW: 5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel



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