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shimmery's review against another edition
4.0
Dark and intimate, Burnt Sugar tells the story of a complicated and intense relationship between a mother and daughter. Spanning years of their lives, the story returns always to a present in which the mother is ill and losing her memory, and her daughter must give her care she never received herself.
I thought the character of Antara, the narrator, was lucid and complex, and the depiction of her mother equally so. It’s a difficult book to say I enjoyed since a lot of the story is sad and desperate, but I did like it and found it to be thought provoking.
I thought the character of Antara, the narrator, was lucid and complex, and the depiction of her mother equally so. It’s a difficult book to say I enjoyed since a lot of the story is sad and desperate, but I did like it and found it to be thought provoking.
nike_1212's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting narration and subject and very raw and honestly told but somehow it didn’t captivate me and leave me as connected to the story as it could have. I don’t feel like I dislike the narrator as a lot of other reviews said because she was flawed and human and victim of her traumatic experience as a child that she was never able to overcome. It’s about the stories and narratives we create for ourselves that form the basis for our understanding of the world and our life. So that’s well done for sure! 3.5 stars for me.
joannemiro1948's review against another edition
dark
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
1.75
diyaspectrum's review against another edition
5.0
This book was impossible to put down. I started in the morning, and finished by night. Doshi has crafted lively, dynamic characters you can't help but care about (while also recognizing how messy and cruel they can be). The exploration of Tara and Antara's mother daughter relationship is moving, as we see how interconnected they are. How they are two halves of a whole. We see the best of them, and we see the worst of them, all with great sympathy and realism. I hope to find more books as magnetic as this one. I genuinely loved it from start to finish.
liciat's review against another edition
2.0
Per metà libro ho apprezzato tantissimo. Mi piaceva la descrizione dello spazio esteriore usata come specchio di quello interiore, mi piaceva che la protagonista fosse amara, sgradevole, poco chiara, mi piaceva la scrittura. Dopo aver superato la metà libro e aver capito che non ci sarebbe stato nessuno sviluppo, nessuna catarsi, nessun approfondimento serio della relazione tra Tara e Antara, tra madre e figlia, ma solamente un susseguirsi di eventi, pensieri, parole brutte, angoscianti e disperate, allora ho cominciato ad essere davvero stanca. Ho finito il libro sperando arrivasse un qualcosa che non è mai arrivato. Forse è una questione di preferenze personali.
Non ho visto nessun percorso, però, che è ciò che solitamente rende interessante un romanzo. Se non un percorso, almeno dei personaggi interessanti da esplorare, cosa che manca a questo libro. Una trama d'intrattenimento? No, perché non succede molto a livello di eventi.
L'ho trovato amarissimo, mi è rimasto in gola, ma non in modo positivo. La scrittura a volte risulta un po' troppo didascalica, come se l'autrice non si fidasse della capacità di comprensione del testo del lettore, che è un atteggiamento che detesto. Meh.
Non ho visto nessun percorso, però, che è ciò che solitamente rende interessante un romanzo. Se non un percorso, almeno dei personaggi interessanti da esplorare, cosa che manca a questo libro. Una trama d'intrattenimento? No, perché non succede molto a livello di eventi.
L'ho trovato amarissimo, mi è rimasto in gola, ma non in modo positivo. La scrittura a volte risulta un po' troppo didascalica, come se l'autrice non si fidasse della capacità di comprensione del testo del lettore, che è un atteggiamento che detesto. Meh.
frankiecully's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
nikkideeley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book 62 of 2024: Burnt Sugar - Avni Doshi
Antara’s mother Tara is showing signs of early onset dementia. Their relationship has always been fraught with Antara experiencing a turbulent childhood due to a lot of her mother’s choices, now she must make peace with the past to be her mother’s caregiver.
Review:
⭐️3/5
I really don’t know how to feel about this book. For the most part the narrative was rather disjointed and messy, and I wasn’t particularly fond of the pseudoscience throughout that, whilst made sense in the context of the story, may be damaging if someone takes it seriously (the sugar impact/insulin brain and dementia). I did think the childhood trauma long-term impacts were well examined, in a subtle way that may come across as bizarre to some people. I found the premise very interesting, examining how a relationship between mother and daughter can be so fraught and how the balance changes over time. The ending left me somewhat confused and unsure on my own feelings, it felt inconclusive. Overall, not a book I’d recommend as it wasn’t my cup of tea.
Challenges:
📚Books in 2024: 62/60
📚52 Book Club Challenge: 24/52
📚Prompt #17 of the 52 Book Club Challenge: Nominated for The Booker Prize
Book Information:
📖 Pages: 230
📖 Format: Paperback
📖 Type: Fiction
📖 Genre: Contemporary, Literary
Favourite Quotes:
“I am grieving, but it’s too early to burn the body”
“Miscommunications emerge from mislaid certainty”
“You should worry about your own madness instead of mine”
“I have a striking sensation that life is short, that I can feel the minutes ticking by, that I don’t have much time left”
zoe_gluning's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0