A Guardian and a Thief By Megha Majumdar

AN ELECTRIFYING NEW NOVEL OF SURVIVAL, LOVE, AND DESPERATION FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF A BURNING.

Set in a near-future Kolkata ravaged by extreme climate change, flooding, and severe food scarcity, A Guardian and a Thief is a piercing and propulsive tour de force. Ma is just days away from escaping the collapsing city with her toddler and elderly father to join her husband in Michigan. But on the very morning of their flight, disaster strikes: their purse containing their hard-won immigration visas is stolen.

Over the course of one gripping week, the novel splits into two unforgettable perspectives. We follow Ma’s frantic, hunger-driven hunt for the thief against the backdrop of a worsening municipal crisis, alongside the story of Boomba, the young thief whose own desperate desire to feed his family pulls him into an escalating spiral of crime. With breathtaking control, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families driven by ferocious love and undefeated hope, exploring the harrowing lengths we will go to protect our children when the world is falling apart.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Acclaimed Author: From the brilliant mind behind the New York Times bestseller and National Book Award longlist selection, A Burning.

• Riveting Near-Future Setting: A chillingly plausible vision of Kolkata caught in the grips of climate crisis and resource scarcity.

• Emotional Intensity: Explores the moral complexities of survival, empathy, and family through two parallel, high-stakes narratives.

• Contemporary Masterpiece: A vital work from one of the most exciting, celebrated literary voices of her generation.

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