A Guardian and a Thief | Megha Majumdar

 

In the not too distant future, Kolkata is beset by scorching heat, floods and famine. Against this searing backdrop, 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 Michigan on a climate refugee visa.

As worsening food shortages hit, desperation drives people to desperate measures. Boomba, the thief, commits a series of escalating crimes in order to keep his family alive, but when he breaks into Ma’s home and steals the bag with all their immigration documents, the consequences turn out to be far-reaching.

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 ferocious love and undefeated hope in the face of encroaching catastrophe.