A Burning

A Burning is a novel by Indian-born author Megha Majumdar. It was released in June 2020 to mixed reviews in India and mostly positive reviews abroad. In December 2020, Emily Temple of Literary Hub reported that the novel had made 13 lists of the best books of 2020.
Plot.
Set in Kolkata, India, the novel tells the story of its central character Jivan, a woman who witnesses a terrorist attack on an Indian train while it is stopped in a station. The woman posts to Facebook the next day, drawing the attention of police who arrest her on suspicion of committing the terrorist attack herself. Following the accusation, her fate hinges upon her former gym teacher, PT Sir, who has become a politician in an Indian right-wing party, and on a hijra actress named Lovely.
Critical reception.
Majumdar's writing style has been compared to that of Jhumpa Lahiri and Yaa Gyasi.
The novel was highly praised outside India. "Time" said that "Megha Majumdar presents a powerful corrective to the political narratives that have dominated in contemporary India."
It received some unfavourable reviews in the Indian English media. Political anthropologist Irfan Ahmad described the novel to be lacking in critical thinking and offering a threadbare description of Muslim culture.