Oprah Winfrey picks Megha Majumdar’s ‘A Guardian and a Thief’ for book club

By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Megha Majumdar’s “ A Guardian and a Thief,” already a finalist for the National Book Award and Kirkus Prize, is now Oprah Winfrey’s book club pick.

Set in the near future, “A Guardian and a Thief” depicts a world of drought, flooding, crime and food shortages as it contrasts a woman whose family is about to emigrate from India to the U.S. with the resident of a shelter who has stolen her purse and the passports it contains. It’s Majumdar’s first novel since her acclaimed debut, “A Burning,” came out in 2020.

“I was spellbound from Page 1,” Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday. “Megha Majumdar is one of those exquisitely skilled authors who takes us into the story of characters and cultural conflicts and leaves us spellbound until the last word and beyond. Who was the ‘Guardian’ who was the ‘Thief’? I’m still thinking about it.”

Majumdar’s conversation with Winfrey can be seen on Winfrey’s YouTube channel and other outlets where podcasts are available. Winfrey’s book club is currently presented by Starbucks. Other recent picks include Elizabeth Gilbert’ s memoir, “All the Way to the River,” and a novel by Richard Russo, “Bridge of Sighs.”