By HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press 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 spel

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