Reviews

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

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kdahlo's review against another edition

4.0

Overall, I liked this book a lot. However, it's structurally unusual and I think it demands some commitment from the reader. The book documents a descent, both psychological and through the layers of the narrator's personal history and secrets with her mother. The initial layers are interesting but more superficial. Gradually this book turns darker, weirder, and less mundane. There were times when I considered bailing out because I thought I knew where the story was going. Luckily, I realized I was wrong, but the author does not foreshadow and hint and tease you. You just have to commit, read the book, and see if you like where it ends up. To me, it felt like a very different book at the beginning compared to the end.

k8k's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

calyxconcision's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was amazing. The relationship between not only mother and daughter, but between family and individual was extremely well-written. I especially liked the parallels drawn between Tara and Antara where Antara is almost completely like her mother. The ending was perfect in conveying the feeling of it all being inescapable.

trinitymconrad's review against another edition

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3.0

“i wonder if performing for the world circulates something vital, if the pressure of an audience around us is what forces the blood to pump. it's easy to unravel when no one is watching."

“sometimes the way we act is determined by equations we fall into over and over again."

trishadanforth27's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

direton1's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

desireeslibrary's review against another edition

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2.0

I initially picked this up because I am also intrigued by a dicy mother-daughter relationship and Antara definitely has a terrible relationship with her mother. However, that is pretty much the extent of what I liked about the novel, and there was just so much that I honestly hated.

First of all, the shifts in timeline were choppy and overall, the writing was boring. I am usually all for dual timelines, but this just fell so short. Similarly, I am a big fan of unreliable or unlikable narrators, but Antara was so wildly boring and I never found myself warming up to her.

Overall, this was a huge let down.