{"product_id":"guardian-and-a-thief-1","title":"Guardian and a Thief","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGUARDIAN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2026’\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTIME \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eMUST-READ BOOK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Majumdar evades the narrative clunkiness that inevitably attends attempts to explain India to the west. This frees her up not only to tell a story of universal moral interest, but also to deliver a perceptive account of specifically Indian anxieties\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e… \u003ci\u003eA Guardian and a Thief\u003c\/i\u003e dramatises, to superb effect, the Indian elite’s great fear: a world in which they are forced to share’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGuardian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Nothing goes to plan in this ­propulsive black farce which ­combines ­vertiginous plot twists and a persuasive doomy atmosphere with a terrific spin on the moral hypocrisy of the Indian middle classes.’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Gripping… [It] is an impressive novel. Pages suffused with ambient menace also accommodate tenderness’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpectator\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An indictment of this moment and a timeless parable about the lengths we go to for love and self-preservation, written in exuberant prose - this is a novel that will burrow its way into your soul and remain there forever’ \u003cb\u003eTahmima Anam\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAMED A NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNEW YORKER, WASHINGTON POST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, NPR, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eATLANTIC\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTIME\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHICAGO TRIBUNE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNEW YORK MAGAZINE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eELLE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKIRKUS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOOKPAGE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMegha Majumdar’s electrifying new novel, following her acclaimed \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e Bestseller \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Burning\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e—longlisted for the National Book Award—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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter Mishti, and her elderly father Dadu 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, with all the treasured immigration documents within it, has been stolen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet over the course of one week, \u003ci\u003eA Guardian and a Thief\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA masterful new work from one of the most exciting voices of her generation.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A true literary achievement… Majumdar creates a tense and deeply compassionate portrait of desperation, fear and the combined selflessness and selfishness of parenthood… Detail is the strongest thing in \u003ci\u003eA Guardian and a Thief\u003c\/i\u003e. It conveys the nuances of not only love but also wisdom… a true joy to read.’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55451151597912,"sku":"9781398551640","price":21.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781398551640.jpg?v=1778675457","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/guardian-and-a-thief-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}