Minnie's Fiction Addiction

👀 First impressions:
Set in a near future Kolkata on the brink of collapse, A Guardian and a Thief unfolds over the course of a single, harrowing week. Ma is preparing to leave India with her young daughter and elderly father to reunite with her husband in America when her purse containing their precious visas is stolen. At the same time, the novel follows Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to protect his own family pushes him into a spiral of increasingly dangerous choices. From the outset, the story establishes high emotional and moral stakes, rooted in scarcity, fear and love.

✅ What I Liked:
Megha Majumdar writes with remarkable control and urgency. The dual narrative structure is particularly effective, allowing the reader to inhabit both sides of a single devastating act. Ma’s story captures the relentless pressure of hunger, bureaucracy and maternal fear, while Boomba’s chapters refuse to simplify him into a villain, instead showing how desperation erodes judgment. The near future setting feels disturbingly plausible, with food shortages, migration anxiety and systemic failure woven seamlessly into daily life. The pacing is tight and propulsive, creating a sense of inevitability that mirrors the characters’ narrowing choices.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
The intensity rarely lets up, which can make the reading experience emotionally exhausting. Some readers may wish for more space to breathe or reflect between crises. The bleakness of the world leaves little room for softness, although this is clearly a deliberate choice rather than a flaw in execution.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
This is a powerful choice for readers who enjoy politically engaged literary fiction that confronts contemporary fears head on. If you are interested in stories about migration, class, parenthood and moral compromise, this novel offers a gripping and thoughtful exploration. It is especially compelling for readers who appreciate fiction that humanises all sides of a conflict without offering easy answers.

💭 Final Thoughts:
A Guardian and a Thief is a tense, humane and deeply unsettling novel about what people are willing to do when everything they love is at risk. Megha Majumdar balances momentum with empathy, crafting a story that feels both intimate and expansive. It is a novel that lingers, not just for its plot, but for the questions it leaves behind about justice, survival and love.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE and HERE

Final Rating ★★★★ – A gripping moral thriller rooted in compassion