Megha Majumdar’s Debut Novel Is on Fire

“You smell like smoke,” my mother said to me.

So begins A Burning, Megha Majumdar’s thrilling, New York Times bestselling and highly acclaimed—see below!—debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise—to the middle class, to political power, to stardom—and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India.

Majumdar writes at a breakneck pace on complex yet relatable themes: class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams. Majumdar discusses these themes, plus her process, inspiration, and more, in a Q&A here.