Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

20 reviews

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Dementia, Fatphobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Dysphoria

sparklesandcupcakes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Dementia, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Bullying, and Fatphobia

Minor: Gaslighting

kerrence30's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed the dark and emotional relationship between the main character and her mother. It was horrific at times, far from ideal and you do feel genuinely sorry for her. At times an (acceptable) struggle to read. The balance between disliking her mother and acknowledging her responsibility of looking after her is portrayed so well. It really encapsulates how painful and stressful it is to look after a parent in need, but the added layer of their difficult relationship is what makes this such a worthwhile read. You feel every pang of hatred and betrayal.
I listened on audiobook, and although it was well read I did need to re-listen at times. I think this was more to do with the irregular pace and succinctness of the writing, I kept missing important elements among less important parts of the plot, otherwise would have been 4*.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Dementia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

painausten314's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

sabotheking's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Torture, Abandonment, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical content

Minor: Incest

aaminak's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Pregnancy, Drug use, and Misogyny

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Buddy read this with my mum (she read the paperback, I read the audiobook) because she got a copy for Christmas. 

Burnt Sugar is about the changing relationship between a mother and daughter over the course of several decades. The book oscillates between the past, with the protagonist, Antara, growing up in an ashram, and the present, where she's trying to take care of her mother, Tara, who has dementia. 

The book is incredibly character-driven, with little plot to drive the narrative forward, making the pacing very slow. Antara has a complicated relationship with Tara; at times she despises her mother for things she put her through in her childhood as well as her selfishness and body shaming, but in other moments, she feels a strong bond with her mother and deep love for her. She alternates between wishing her mother was out of her life, and fearing that she'll die soon and Antara will no longer have her in her life. 

There were some moments of profound sadness because of Tara's dementia and the book offers up reflections on shared history and forgiveness. But Antara as a character has little personality and nothing that really makes her stand out as a narrator, so I felt apathetic towards her for almost the entire novel.

There are also some strange moments where the narrative wanders off on a tangent to discuss something else (the state of the road or pavement, dying animals) that isn't relevant to the story and doesn't add any deeper meaning. And if you don't like abject descriptions of bodily functions or excrement, then this book isn't for you, because it features a lot of them (again, not always for any particular reason). I also wasn't particularly comfortable with the main character's thoughts about having sexual relations with her estranged father.

I've read books where authors successfully raise difficult, uncomfortable, and often harrowing topics to start discussions on the flaws in our society or condemn certain behaviors. It felt like this book was trying to do that, but was unfortunately unsuccessful in its endeavors. We don't really get any resounding moral messages or satisfying conclusions (where prejudices are challenged) by the end of the novel. Instead the book ends with a strange scene which left me feeling desolate and disquieted. 

Content warnings for dementia, fatphobia, body shaming, descriptions of bodily fluids and excrement, physical and emotional abuse, adult/minor relationships, explicit sexual content, gaslighting, religious prejudices, arson.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Excrement, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Adult/minor relationship

cthornhill's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

There’s some gorgeous writing in this book and a really interesting story. It just fell a little flat for me. I think for people with an echo of the relationship that is described throughout the book - the story would be very powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

gabriellejane's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I connected to this book as the daughter of a parent who dealt with a manipulative parent until their death. I think it helped me understand a little more what they might have gone through. About the book itself, I love an unreliable narrator and how frustrating the reading experience can be! Not an all-time favorite, but a solid read that I will think about for some time. As with most unreliable stories, I wished the ending had been formed more than where it ended. I don't think the story needed to continue, but just a little more closure would have been great! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Child abuse

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Dementia, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment