A Burning by Megha Majumdar

Star rating: 3.5/5

Megha Majumdar's debut novel revolves around government corruption, poverty, and the lengths people will go to to better their lives. 

Summary:

Jivan has been wrongfully accused of committing a terrorist act after writing a Facebook post that criticized the government. A former teacher of hers could testify in support of her good character, but he has gotten swept up in the corrupt acts of a political party in an attempt to gain power and wealth. The only other person who can serve as an alibi is Lovely, a hijra and an aspiring actress, but the court does not trust her testimony due to her low status as a beggar. Told by each of these characters perspectives, A Burning is a harrowing and tragic tale.

Review:

I really wanted to love this book, and there is a lot to love about it. This is a really unique story that is beautifully and hauntingly written. There is no denying that Jivan's tale was terribly tragic, when all she wanted for herself and her family was to be middle class - not even rich, just comfortable enough to have a real house out of the slums, to have food and water. However, the story felt confusing to me a lot of the time. Lovely and PT Sir (Jivan's teacher) were both very loosely connected to Jivan, and I found that the heavy focus on their lives and stories just didn't feel like they fit - it all felt very disjointed. That said, Lovely was my favorite character - I felt out of the three that she had the most depth and development. I just would have liked to see the characters' story lines intertwine a bit more than they did. Overall, this is a great debut novel and I can see why it has received so much praise, even if it didn't totally work for me personally.