Book - A Guardian and a Thief

From Megha Majumdar, the electrifying follow-up to her New York Times bestselling and National Book Award longlisted debut, A Burning. Set in a near-future Kolkata, India, ravaged by climate change and food scarcity, this propulsive and breathtaking tour de force features two families who, to protect their children, must face off against one another.

In a near-future Kolkata beset by floods and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter Mishti, and her elderly father, Dadu, are days away from leaving the collapsing city to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After finally securing the long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for their flight to America. But in the morning, they discover Ma’s bag, containing all of the precious immigration documents, has been stolen.

Unfolding over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two stories: Ma’s frantic search to find the thief while battling hunger amid growing food scarcity; and the thief, Boomba, whose desperation to provide for his family drives him to commit a series of increasingly severe crimes, the consequences of which he cannot fathom.

With remarkable command, Megha Majumdar crafts a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each driven by fierce love and indomitable hope, each discovering how far they are willing to go to secure their children’s futures in the face of impending catastrophe.

A masterful work from one of the most captivating voices of her generation.