From the sinister labyrinths of Kolkata erupts a furious juxtaposition—of two righteous wrecks in search of relevance.

The unlikely paths of these failed heroes collide, bound by loss, betrayal and a speck of hope. Johnny, a suicidal, drug-peddling dwarf with a tragic past and nurturing a vendetta against the world, prowls the broken streets of Kolkata. Katherine, heiress to the American railroads, battles abandonment and hangovers with sex, cocaine and Manhattan loneliness.

Two broken matches in a world soaked in gasoline.

The unhinged duo tear through the underbelly of a city where digging for the truth isn’t just playing with fire—it’s outright pyromania. But nothing prepares them for what lies ahead, as they stumble from one shadow game to the next.

Each choice tightens the noose. Each secret brings them closer to a truth they may not survive. Yet in all our lives, there comes a moment when the fires we ignite—and burn in—are the fires we become.

Dark, funny, searingly honest and relentlessly human, The Fires We Become is a noir-drenched literary thriller about people rebuilt, happiness reclaimed and souls forged in flames.

Publisher: Rupa Publications India

Author: Manu Dhawan

Pages: 336

ISBN: 9789370036628

Publication Date: 05 August 2025