A Burning

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• A "gripping thriller with compassionate social commentary"  (

USA Today

) about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise

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to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies

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and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India.

Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan's fall. Lovely

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an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor

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has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear. Taut, symphonic, propulsive, and riveting from its opening lines,

A Burning

is an electrifying debut.