Megha Majumdar is such a talented writer and I thought this was excellent. I've never seen a fururistic novel set in India and thought that was such a great idea. The parallel stories of Ma and Boomba were equally compelling, a difficult trick to pull off.

Eminently readable and propulsive with a seven-day countdown structure (the preface to the ARC suggests one may read it in one sitting) and slightly less infuriating than A Burning, but still a piece of pronatalist propaganda (Dadu and Ma assuming Mishti will one day have her own child; the narrator opining, “Was there anything as gorgeous as a child’s uninhibited, tipping-over, eyes-shut laughter?” I dislike when authors make such blanket statements, i.e., “there is nothing better than…”), with a side of forced parentification and deadbeat dads, as well as a caution against the scarcity and abject poverty borne of colonialism, capitalism, climate change, and overpopulation. The title refers to both Ma and Boomba (as opposed to one or the other), who both engage in dishonesty, theft, and violence in an attempt to best care for their families, proving that it’s possible for a hero to be the villain in someone else’s story. Grateful to Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC.

A devastatingly heartbreaking and brutal look at who people are willing to become when they become desperate and hopeless.

I was only a few pages in when I realized I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep until I learned how everything turned out. While the events take in an unknown time in the future, it could have easily been now. Majumdar had such a clear grasp of human nature and the survival instincts especially how one's own people comes before others, even if we all pretend it might be otherwise. The chapters were short and the story came with a seven day countdown which put me at the edge of my seat more so than any thriller has ever achieved.

A haunting, near-future novel set in a collapsing Kolkata, Gardener and a Thief follows a mother trying to keep her family safe just long enough to leave for a better life, and a young man who will do anything to survive. It's about hunger, dignity, and impossible choices. Spare and devastating, this story doesn’t ask what people dream of, but what they’ll do just to make it through the day. Quietly powerful and beautifully told, it stays with you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. Ma just needs to hold it together for a few days and then her father and young daughter can leave Kolkata and join her husband in Michigan. But this story is set slightly in the future where the city seems to be falling apart from floods and famine. This is a heartbreaking and brutal story about what people will do to not chase after dreams, but just try and get through the day. Great characters as we equally follow Ma and her small family and a new transplant from the country who will lie and steal to try and save his.

“A Guardian and a Thief” is the latest novel by critically acclaimed author Megha Majumdar. Like her National Book Award longlisted novel, "A Burning", this new book is a fast-paced, emotional tale which serves as a social commentary.

The novel alternates between the perspectives of two morally grey/complex characters, Ma and Boomba. Set in a near-future India, this cli-fi novel follows Ma and her family as they prepare to relocate to Ann Arbor as climate refugees. Ma and her toddler plan to reunite with her husband, who is already there. Meanwhile, Boomba, a teenage boy, has moved to the city to secure housing and food for his family. Their lives intersect when Boomba steals Ma's family's passports.

The story unfolds over the course of a week, during which both characters search for the stolen documents, struggle to survive, and confront each other and their own choices. The title suggests roles of guardian and thief, but it quickly becomes apparent that these roles are interchangeable.

This book explores the idea that right and wrong are not always absolute and signifies how we may prioritize our loved ones above others. It delves into themes of survival, human nature, wealth inequality, climate issues, and food equity. Although it is a piece of fiction set in the near future, its themes are deeply relevant to today's world. I appreciate its central message, reminiscent of *To Kill a Mockingbird*, which encourages readers to "put yourself in someone else's shoes."

I highly recommend this emotional page-turner. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.