A Guardian and a Thief: Oprah's Book Club

A Novel

De: Megha Majumdar

Narrado por: Leela Tapryal, Sid Sagar, Rajib Bhattacharya, Soneela Nankani, Reena Dutt, Shawn K. Jain, Mayuri Bhandari

OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • FINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE • Megha Majumdar’s electrifying new novel, following her acclaimed New York Times bestseller A Burning, is set in a near-future Kolkata, India in which two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other. A piercing and propulsive tour de force.

“Wondering if there’s a novel out there that gives Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a run for its money? Here you go.”—Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life

NAMED A NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, THE ATLANTIC, TIME, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, ELLE, TOWN & COUNTRY, KIRKUS, BOOKPAGE

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.

Complex, compelling story

OMG...stayed up to listen to the end of this story. Amazing character development. Roller coaster of emotions. One of the best fiction books I've listened to. Highly recommended

Crisis forces people to do unspeakable things.

Well written and full of twists and turns. It was not clear how the story would end, compelling!

Well performed

I didn’t like it not providing any hope. The story was all doom and gloom and ended horribly

Tender and timely

I read this without knowing a thing about the story or the author. The story couldn’t have been more truthful and relevant. I didn’t have the time, but I had to read the whole thing in one sitting.

Depressing and sad

It’s a good story overall, but it just shows how hard things were for these people in current times. The unfairness of people’s realities while relative coming from an American citizen it seems horrendous. Great narration, tough storyline love how it shows just the intense need for survival even when it might cause you to question your moral code.