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A review by megsbookishtwins
The Burning by Laura Bates
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
‘It’s worth knowing that sometimes people see you as a symbol of something, instead of a person. And, when they do, it reflects on them, not on you’.
The Burning follows Anna, who has moved to Scotland following the death of her father and following her nude photos being leaked across social media. She is in a new school, in a new town, with a new last name and she still can’t escape the rampant bullying and slut-shaming she has experienced over one photo. For a history project, Anna has to research a local person of interest and she comes across a woman accused of witchcraft and is desperate to find out her story.
The Burning is an important, albeit brutal, book about sexism, double standards, sexual harassment, and online abuse that a lot of young girls go through while at school. I think The Burning is an exceptionally important book for young people at the moment, cyberbullying is a huge problem and I think The Burning does a good job at representing that, while also highlighting how this bullying and harassment is of a sexual nature for a lot of young girls.
I also really like the quote; ‘Fire is like a rumour. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames’.
While The Burning mainly focuses on modern-day online abuse and shaming, it does also feature flashbacks to a witch trial in Scotland and while I did enjoy that aspect, I do think it sometimes dragged you out of the story a little bit, especially as the supernatural aspects didn’t fit the tone of the book BUT I do appreciate the attempt at contrasting how women and their bodies were treated and shamed in the past to how it is today.
There was one scene that I really did dislike though. It was a scene where Anna and Alisha were talking about love and Anna was extremely shocked when Lish revealed she was in love with a girl. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NORMALISE GIRLS LOVING GIRLS – ESPECIALLY IN UKYA!!
Alongside the main plot of the book, there was a nice healthy romance too between Anna and Robin, and also showed the importance of friendship too which I liked.
Overall, The Burning is an important and relevant book about slut-shaming and online harassment.
‘It’s worth knowing that sometimes people see you as a symbol of something, instead of a person. And, when they do, it reflects on them, not on you’.
The Burning follows Anna, who has moved to Scotland following the death of her father and following her nude photos being leaked across social media. She is in a new school, in a new town, with a new last name and she still can’t escape the rampant bullying and slut-shaming she has experienced over one photo. For a history project, Anna has to research a local person of interest and she comes across a woman accused of witchcraft and is desperate to find out her story.
The Burning is an important, albeit brutal, book about sexism, double standards, sexual harassment, and online abuse that a lot of young girls go through while at school. I think The Burning is an exceptionally important book for young people at the moment, cyberbullying is a huge problem and I think The Burning does a good job at representing that, while also highlighting how this bullying and harassment is of a sexual nature for a lot of young girls.
I also really like the quote; ‘Fire is like a rumour. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames’.
While The Burning mainly focuses on modern-day online abuse and shaming, it does also feature flashbacks to a witch trial in Scotland and while I did enjoy that aspect, I do think it sometimes dragged you out of the story a little bit, especially as the supernatural aspects didn’t fit the tone of the book BUT I do appreciate the attempt at contrasting how women and their bodies were treated and shamed in the past to how it is today.
There was one scene that I really did dislike though. It was a scene where Anna and Alisha were talking about love and Anna was extremely shocked when Lish revealed she was in love with a girl. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NORMALISE GIRLS LOVING GIRLS – ESPECIALLY IN UKYA!!
Alongside the main plot of the book, there was a nice healthy romance too between Anna and Robin, and also showed the importance of friendship too which I liked.
Overall, The Burning is an important and relevant book about slut-shaming and online harassment.