Megha Majumdars electrifying new novel, following her acclaimedNew York TimesbestsellerA Burninglonglisted for the National Book Awardis 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.

In a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Mas 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 Mas purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen.

Set over the course of one week,A Guardian and a Thieftells two stories: the story of Mas 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 childrens future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe.

A masterful new work from one of the most exciting voices of her generation.

is the author of theNew York Timesbestselling novelA Burning, which was nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, and the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal. It was named one of the best books of the year by media includingThe Washington Post, The New York Times,NPR,The Atlantic, Vogue,andTIME Magazine.A 2022 Whiting Award winner, she was born and raised in Kolkata, India, and holds degrees in anthropology from Harvard and Johns Hopkins. She is the former editor in chief of Catapult books, and lives in New York.

• Publisher: Knopf
• Publish Date: October 14, 2025
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9780593804872
• Dimensions: 8.3 X 5.5 X 0.6 inches | 0.8 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Literary Fiction