A Guardian and a Thief: Oprah's Book Club: A Novel [B2323]

2025 HCDJ in Gift-Worthy condition. WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • Megha Majumdar's electrifying new dystopian Sci-Fi novel is set in a near-future Kolkata, India, ravaged by climate change and food scarcity, in which two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other. A piercing and propulsive tour de force.

In a near-future Kolkata, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma's husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma's purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen. Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two stories: the story of Ma's frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom.

With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children's future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe. A masterful new work from one of the most exciting voices of her generation.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "What an amazing book! Truly beautifully written and makes you think so deeply. I am so glad I read this & would highly recommend."; "I don't remember the last time I read a climate dystopia, but I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one. It's engaging because I wanted to find out if they would ever get their passports back and manage to leave, and the suspense remains until the very end. I'm not happy about the ending, but I do think that's the point."; "Came across this very moving book whilst in India. Gave me a very different perspective on the country with themes of family, survival and inequality. Eye opening."; "A beautifully written, yet absolutely devastating book."