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secre's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Bright Burning Things is a bit of a weird one. It's the tale of a mother deep in alcoholism, struggling to care for her young son and dog even as the genie in the bottle keeps drawing her back. It starts with a stream of consciousness that I found jarring and difficult to read; it was clearly a deliberate narrative device to show the unsteadiness of Sonya's thoughts but it was rather off-putting. Thankfully, the writing became more fluid as the narrative progressed and Sonya is forced to face up to her demons.
There's a lot to like here; the character of the alcoholic and the struggle to beat her demons were very true to life. I appreciated that Sonya is a deeply flawed character and her flaws actively hurt those around her, including her young son who is dependant on her and yet is often forced to counter her moods. Sonya's battles with her cravings and her fight to get her son back were well done as well.
Where I struggled more was with the character development of the 'lesser' characters. Many of them seemed two dimensional to an extreme; David for example, goes from being a knight in shining armour to being a creepy and manipulative presence in Sonya's life. It was a sudden and stark shift. one that brought tension to the novel but didn't seem completely real. Likewise, the conflict resolution was handled too deftly, too easily, with none of the drawn out and messy chaos that would have occurred in real life.
So this is an interesting novel and one that may be worth reading if you are a fan of reading novels focused on mental health and addition. But it's not as powerful as Shuggie Bain and it's both chaotic and simple at the wrong times. The writing style took a long time to 'click' for me and I found myself reading out of obligation rather than enjoyment.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this title.
There's a lot to like here; the character of the alcoholic and the struggle to beat her demons were very true to life. I appreciated that Sonya is a deeply flawed character and her flaws actively hurt those around her, including her young son who is dependant on her and yet is often forced to counter her moods. Sonya's battles with her cravings and her fight to get her son back were well done as well.
Where I struggled more was with the character development of the 'lesser' characters. Many of them seemed two dimensional to an extreme; David for example, goes from being a knight in shining armour to being a creepy and manipulative presence in Sonya's life. It was a sudden and stark shift. one that brought tension to the novel but didn't seem completely real. Likewise, the conflict resolution was handled too deftly, too easily, with none of the drawn out and messy chaos that would have occurred in real life.
So this is an interesting novel and one that may be worth reading if you are a fan of reading novels focused on mental health and addition. But it's not as powerful as Shuggie Bain and it's both chaotic and simple at the wrong times. The writing style took a long time to 'click' for me and I found myself reading out of obligation rather than enjoyment.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Mental illness
krys_kilz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a very character driven story. I liked how Sonya's character was fleshed out and how the reader is able to see inside what she's thinking. The subtleties of Sonya as a potentially unreliable narrator and simultaneously as a woman whose instincts are constantly denied and belittled created thought provoking tension around how responses to mental illness and addiction are gendered.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but I was really glad to see Sonya sticking up for herself and her son.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but I was really glad to see Sonya sticking up for herself and her son.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Death of parent
alyhutchss's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.5
Powerful. This book is about navigating addiction and single motherhood. Sonya was once a famous actress, however after becoming a mother her life took a turn. She fell into a battle with alcoholism.
Each and every page was raw, chaotic, and pulled at my heart. I was emotional at every step of Sonya and her four year olds story. Tommy is a sweet and unique child who Sonya undoubtedly loves. She has a uniqueness that she brings to motherhood, however the addiction stands her in the way.
The writing of this book was really what brought it to life. Each chapter was short and easy to breeze through. The author brings a chaotic energy to Sonya’s narration which emulates what she is going through.
I felt like there was something missing to the ending as the story ended abruptly. There were some pieces of their story I felt were left hanging, however this could be intentional on the author's part.
I rounded this up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on goodreads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Stalking, Violence, Cancer, and Alcoholism
corinnereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
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