A BURNING by Megha Majumdar

Powerful and brutal are just two words to describe this first novel from Indian born, now New York based (she might want to stay there now after publishing this) editor of online digital magazine Catapult. It doesn't pack a punch of quite the same kapow as Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, but it is very similar in its themes of racism, corruption, misogyny, political grandstanding, hopelessness and  rage. With the added Indian element of extreme poverty and squalor. This is not the sort of book you say you 'liked' or 'enjoyed' reading, but if reading is an experience of another slice of life, then this certainly fills that brief.

Set in Kolkata, which is where the author is from, this novel tells the story of three very ordinary people going about their lives, doing the best they can to survive and better themselves in the crazy chaos of a huge Indian city. Jivan is in her late teens, working in a lowly position in a retail business. She has a grim back story, and lives in the slums with her parents. But she gets to dress nicely every day for work, and thanks to a scholarship she is one of the lucky ones who has a ticket out of the slums being able to read, write and speak English. She is Muslim, idealistic, a typical teenager with grand plans and a new iPhone that she has saved her money up to buy. Lovely is is a hijra - an intersex person, usually living their lives as women. This third gender has a unique and highly visible place in Indian society - feared, worshipped and considered bearers of good luck at life events such as births, deaths, weddings etc. Lovely is an aspiring actress, and is also being taught English by Jivan. The third character is PT Sir - the physical education teacher at the school Jivan attended. He wants more out of life too and finds himself caught up in an ambitious and powerful Hindu nationalist movement, realising too late that this new line of work may be a mistake.

A terrorist attack has taken place at the local railway station, killing many, a horrific crime. No one is claiming responsibility, social media is in overdrive, and Jivan makes a thoughtless comment, as most social media comments are, which results in the most appalling consequences for her. Over the course of the next few months, Lovely and PT Sir find that their own actions have consequences, amidst the increasing realisation that despite their dreams and ambitions, as so often happens, they have to sell their souls to get there.

Exceptionally well written, the author is also hitting out at the entrenched, powerful and harmful practices that make the country of India work the way it has always operated and likely to continue to do so. Might pay her to never set foot back in the country of her birth, especially as we are seeing, again, the continued rise of Hindu nationalism at the expense of the minority Muslim population.