Reading this made my blood boil. Goosebumps rose, cold sweat, shivers. To say it’s affecting seems so inadequate. The worst part is the bleakness is validated by what has been on the news. Pandemic aside, this was like getting both a snapshot and a look under the surface of contemporary Indian society, more so as a reader not intimately familiar.

Through the eyes of three main characters, the lives of the marginalised within a system of unjust inequality and how this informs the choices left to them as a result is laid bare. Prejudice and discrimination towards vulnerable communities, be it religion or class, is exacerbated when structures in power fan the flames of extreme nationalism and religious tensions while also using means at their disposal, such as state surveillance, to silence and oppress and scapegoat. Any real harm done to the people/families/communities at the centre of events such as the one experienced by one of the main characters is not a matter of concern it seems, because where is the space for compassion and conscience in a system that perpetuates power imbalances and encourages self-serving greed in the name of ambition?

It was a relatively quick but absorbing read. The narrators shift from first to third person perspectives between characters. Without giving anything away, it ran me through the arc of human feelings that might be expected in the face of such an event: disbelief and optimistic confidence, compassion giving way to shame, distance to self-assuage guilt, cynicism at things not changing, but somehow, enduring hope. I don’t think it’s easy to get a feel of another country’s politics without living it but this made me want to learn more.

I have to admit this book is a bit hard to rate for me. It is certainly well written and compelling. I did end up finishing it in like 3 sittings, but was altogether left unsatisfied and felt quite depressed and angry (if that was the author's intention, well done).

We're following three different character POVs, which are easily to distinguish in language and tone and the pacing is just right.

Before I read this book I didn't know what a hijra was, but this was quickly remedied by doing research online and watching a documentary on Youtube, which was fascinating. Female genital mutilation is also mentioned and unfortunately still practiced in hijra communities today.

*SPOILER ALERT* I cannot fault Lovely or PT Sir, who ended up making the best of the situation and practicing self-preservation while Jivan was the sacrificial lamb led to the slaughter for the enjoyment of the masses.

A Burning still doesn't quite reach the level of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry as I hoped it would, but this is only her debut novel and I will keep reading her next work for sure.

Thank you @NetGalley and @simonschuster for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The story of three lives (Jivan, PT Sir, and Lovely), centered around a life-altering lie and the surge of change they each encounter caused mostly by chance.

A Burning is about the morals we're willing to uphold or shed when faced with decisions that can alter the course of our lives - for better or worse. It is a glimpse into the decisions one makes to better their circumstances, the consequences it has on the people surrounding them, the role that fate plays in life and how the absence of justice can alter everything.

I did struggle with the first 20% of this book. The style of writing took me time to relax into and understand, however the intention to write in such a style was important as it transported me directly into the story and environment. Occasionally I found my emotional response to the characters lacking. Not through lack of desire but absence of pull from the writing.

Susan Choi wrote a great article about A Burning in the NY Times and this quote epitomises the book for me, "...depicting the workings of power on the powerless..." A really wonderful debut.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.

This was compelling in the beginning. I was very interested in Jivan and Lovely, but not sure why we were learning about PT Sir. The story is told from the perspective of all three characters. They all have distinct voices and the narrative weaves together at the conclusion. I did lose interest about halfway through the book but was then intrigued by the outcome.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book..

Whilst the book exposes the injustices of Indian culture I found it disjointed and difficult reading.