swethavoleti 's review for:

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

3.0

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Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi. There’s no doubt this book is unsettling, disturbing and an emotional roller coaster. I’m sure many of you have seen this pastel purple cover making the rounds on Instagram being long listed for the 2020 Booker Prize! You may have also read the one liner on the back, “sometimes I refer to Ma in the past tense even though she is still alive”. This, together with the starting few lines of the book, is promise enough for a book filled with betrayal and redemption but also recognition, love, family and passion. Doshi’s debut novel essentially depicts a strained mother-daughter relationship, from the daughter’s point of view. When Antara realises her Ma is unwell and is only deteriorating, she takes responsibility for caring for her, in spite of all the hatred and pain their relationship holds. The story weaves in and out of the past, from 1980s through 2002 and present day, as it gives us insight into the disturbing occurrences that take place in their lives. This insight extends to the lives of Antara’s other relatives, including her father who detached himself from the two early in their lives. The book is very well written (save for a few typos) and the story flows effortlessly between different settings and scenes through the years, which is quite musical. It’s certainly not what I expected though - a miserable, loveless book. To the contrary, it’s full of life, pain and love as the two main characters fight their hatred and suffering to stick together through thick and thin. A good premise but I did find that some parts were very difficult to digest and had me skipping a few lines because it was simply too much to take in. For instance, Antara’s homicidal thoughts were thrown around at random points in the book, particularly I noticed after a chapter of affections. This does go to the book being raw and unfiltered, but still a bit unnecessary I feel. I have mixed thoughts on this one, not sure if I really liked it or not. Certainly a good read but do follow up with a lighter book. 3/5 ⭐️