Aterrorist attack, 100 lives lost and the scapegoating of the Muslim community to further political ambition. Another day in the West? Not this time. This is India and a literary thriller detailing the value of life and the difficulty in escaping a rigid caste system.
Jivan is a Muslim girl trying to climb out of poverty. She lives in a house in the slums behind the rubbish tip, works in a clothing store and teaches English to Lovely, a hijra. Lovely wants a better life through an acting career. Jivan’s old teacher, Mr PT Sir is on his own upward journey, captivated by the populist nationalism of rightwing politics and the Jana Kalyan Party. The party translates as ‘wellbeing for all’, where ‘all’ tends to mean those in the party hierarchy.
Jivan is arraigned for trial and both Lovely and PT Sir give evidence. However, both of them have their own agendas.
This is not a happy Bollywood-style romance, although it’s not without its humour. It’s fast-paced, with short sentences and brief chapters in multiple voices. Don’t mistake that for simplicity, though. There are ample literary devices throughout. Majumdar carries off the different voices with aplomb: no mean feat for a first novel. The narrative is marvellously descriptive, with food a recurrent motif. There are wonderful examples of juxtaposition, particularly the clash between modernity and superstition. Thematically, the novel deals with gender imbalance, corruption and ambition.
The title is interesting, both for what it says, and what it doesn’t. Burning, as a noun, could relate to the terrorist attack, or to a life turned to ash. If it were an adjective, however, it could be part of an unfinished phrase. The unsaid word is ‘desire’. Every character has a burning desire to improve their life. By whatever means available. Some will succeed, others won’t. Sometimes getting further up the ladder requires treading on the heads of others. Don’t look down.
This book is extremely well written. It is not without its flaws, but the themes, issues, insights into daily Indian life, and the ethical and moral conundrums this assured debut offers will keep readers riveted and book club discussions enlivened. At one point, Jivan asks, ‘What can words do? Not very much.’ I disagree; you will disagree. The words in this novel can move mountains.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
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