When Jivan, a Bengali Muslim woman in her twenties from the slums of modern day India, writes a scathing statement on Facebook, she hardly expects anything to happen. In an almost comical way, the comment and Jivan's seemingly unknown friendship with a terrorist organization spirals into a national case of sedition against the nation. In an ever expanding cast of characters, we slowly learn about Jivan. In "A Burning", Majumdar paints an image of a chaotic and desperate working class, from Lovely the aspiring actress and hijra whom Jivan tutored in English to PT Sir a jaded teacher who is unexpectedly rising through the political ranks. As each character's motivations and emotions come into play, the novel shifts away from the court case and into a moral examination of the contemporary Indian working class, with Majumdar showing the system's failings on every level across gender, sexuality, class, caste and religion. Similar to Aravind Adiga's White Tiger, Majumdar opts to let the characters speak in their own language and complicates what the reader's assumptions might be. Overall, a compelling read.