#Review: Testimony by Fire by Atulya Misra

Reading Testimony by Fire felt less like going through a conventional novel and more like walking alongside someone who has chosen silence as resistance. The premise of a former president abandoning power to wander barefoot through a wounded land is unusual, even risky, but that’s what kept me turning the pages. There’s something raw and unsettling in the way the book portrays climate-ravaged fields, forgotten towns, and the slow erosion of both land and memory.

At times, the writing borders on being overly meditative, with long passages that feel more like chants than narrative. I’ll admit, there were moments when I wished for sharper dialogue or more tangible interactions to balance the abstraction. Yet, the sparseness of words seemed intentional, as if the author wanted me to sit in silence the way Ranjeeth does.

What stayed with me most is how the journey becomes less about one man and more about us—the readers, the citizens, the silent onlookers. The book nudges you, without preaching, to confront what we’ve ignored about our relationship with the earth. It may not be a fast or easy read, but it lingers in unexpected ways—like a quiet protest you can’t shake off.

Find this book here.