First published 2020
In the aftermath of a train station terrorist attack, Jivan—a young woman from Kolkata's working class—makes a single Facebook post that changes everything. When her online comment draws police suspicion, she is suddenly arrested and accused of being complicit in the bombing. Her precarious fate depends on two unlikely figures: PT Sir, a former gym teacher turned right-wing political operative, and Lovely, a hijra actress with unexpected connections to Jivan's case. As the investigation unfolds, Jivan confronts a justice system designed to crush vulnerable individuals, her survival hanging by the thinnest of threads. Her story becomes a raw exploration of how power, politics, and prejudice can transform an ordinary moment into a life-altering catastrophe.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Kolkata
Period: Aftermath of a Train Station Terrorist Attack
304 pages · Hardcover · Knopf Publishing Group
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, violence