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annagerman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a while to get into it, but I ended up loving this book. The toxic relationship of the main character with her mother, and as a result with herself and everyone else around her, is tragic yet somehow relatable. The writing feels labored at times (the references to science and medicine felt mostly unnecessary and out of place), but there are moments of stark and brutal honesty, particularly in the last third of the book.
The last chapter was rattling, and I absolutely loved it, though I'm sorry the book ended where it did - I would have loved to see more of the MC as a mother.
The last chapter was rattling, and I absolutely loved it, though I'm sorry the book ended where it did - I would have loved to see more of the MC as a mother.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Dementia
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy
5aru's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A strong, raw exploration of motherhood and trauma through Antara's troubled eyes. Even though the book is very specifically focused on her individual struggle with her past and her complex, toxic relationship with her mother, there is much about her experience that is universal. The description of those feelings - of insufficiency, of stagnation, of bottled anger and unmet needs, of desperation and entrapment - is really what makes this novel, and drives it directly to the heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Excrement, and Dementia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
jessbasuthakur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book broke my brain.
Despite being quite tough to read, there is a lot that I appreciated about this book. The complicated mother/daughter relationship, mental health issues (depression, PPD vs psychosis, PTSD, physical manifestations of trauma, etc), the depiction of an India that is not seen often in books (through the eyes of the rich) while also keeping depictions through poor and middle class eyes, and the biggest thing to me: the effect trauma has on memories. For being such a short book, I think Doshi addressed all these topics quite well and with very strong language.
Nonetheless, this book just wasn't pleasant. I found the depictions of bodily fluids and excreta to be too numerous and didn't provide much to the plot. I also took away a whole star because of a scene in which Antara speaks on having sex with her dad, which was disgusting and added NOTHING to the plot. I appreciate when authors explore the deep, dark, and vile thoughts of humans, but Doshi had too many and I felt like it diluted the effect. Reza's character is introduced in the second half of the book and because he is a pivotal bridge between Tara and Antara, you would expect his part to be deeply discussed, however it was not, and it felt like a missed opportunity. The scene where Antara confronts Tara about his role in her life was anti-climactic considering his role. This book is also VERY dark with not enough light. I think some lightness is necessary in such dark stories to keep it readable, and this book just didn't have enough, and I was glad it was as short as it was because I would've stopped reading if it was much longer.
I was going to DNF this book about half way through and am glad I didn't, as the second half of the book was strong and provided a lot of explanation into the antics of Antara, but I think there was a lot of unnecessary descriptions and darkness that could have been done away with.
Despite being quite tough to read, there is a lot that I appreciated about this book. The complicated mother/daughter relationship, mental health issues (depression, PPD vs psychosis, PTSD, physical manifestations of trauma, etc), the depiction of an India that is not seen often in books (through the eyes of the rich) while also keeping depictions through poor and middle class eyes, and the biggest thing to me: the effect trauma has on memories. For being such a short book, I think Doshi addressed all these topics quite well and with very strong language.
Nonetheless, this book just wasn't pleasant. I found the depictions of bodily fluids and excreta to be too numerous and didn't provide much to the plot. I also took away a whole star because of a scene in which Antara speaks on having sex with her dad, which was disgusting and added NOTHING to the plot. I appreciate when authors explore the deep, dark, and vile thoughts of humans, but Doshi had too many and I felt like it diluted the effect. Reza's character is introduced in the second half of the book and because he is a pivotal bridge between Tara and Antara, you would expect his part to be deeply discussed, however it was not, and it felt like a missed opportunity. The scene where Antara confronts Tara about his role in her life was anti-climactic considering his role. This book is also VERY dark with not enough light. I think some lightness is necessary in such dark stories to keep it readable, and this book just didn't have enough, and I was glad it was as short as it was because I would've stopped reading if it was much longer.
I was going to DNF this book about half way through and am glad I didn't, as the second half of the book was strong and provided a lot of explanation into the antics of Antara, but I think there was a lot of unnecessary descriptions and darkness that could have been done away with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
creepypiespice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Dementia
Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Abortion
sarahna's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars.
I see why this was long-listed for the women's prize of fiction. It's a deeply unsettling story that's written in a shockingly direct way and towards the end it even felt like a horror novel. Was Tara suffering from dementia or did she do so to torment and control her daughter Antara even more? The ending felt somewhat unsatisfying by not revealing an answer and the mention of some bodily fluid on every other page was unsettling.
Still, this story can be analyzed and discussed pretty easily since everyone's a morally grey character and while I did feel with Antara for most of the story even she was unlikable at times. Mixed feelings but overall a read that makes you reflect.
I see why this was long-listed for the women's prize of fiction. It's a deeply unsettling story that's written in a shockingly direct way and towards the end it even felt like a horror novel. Was Tara suffering from dementia or did she do so to torment and control her daughter Antara even more? The ending felt somewhat unsatisfying by not revealing an answer and the mention of some bodily fluid on every other page was unsettling.
Still, this story can be analyzed and discussed pretty easily since everyone's a morally grey character and while I did feel with Antara for most of the story even she was unlikable at times. Mixed feelings but overall a read that makes you reflect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming
literarylaila's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Blood, Excrement, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I normally enjoy books which are on the more unusual side and tend to make people feel uncomfortable but this one was a bit hit and miss for me.
I enjoyed how Doshi looked at the almost toxic relationship between the character and the mother and thought how she looked back through the different time frames worked well. She made me question at times who was at fault in that moment and what actually did happen in reality.
I also really enjoyed how Doshi displayed just how effected people can be from events in their childhood without at times realising those effects themselves.
However I found I couldn't warm to or connect with any of the characters and found the stereotypical characterization of the "Indians vs Westerners" to be over the top, caricaturistic and wildly negative.
I enjoyed how Doshi looked at the almost toxic relationship between the character and the mother and thought how she looked back through the different time frames worked well. She made me question at times who was at fault in that moment and what actually did happen in reality.
I also really enjoyed how Doshi displayed just how effected people can be from events in their childhood without at times realising those effects themselves.
However I found I couldn't warm to or connect with any of the characters and found the stereotypical characterization of the "Indians vs Westerners" to be over the top, caricaturistic and wildly negative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Dementia
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty
musewithxara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia
Minor: Rape
penelopereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Can’t make up my mind about this book. It’s uh... transgressive. I was filled with a sense of dread reading it. It’s grimy.
The storytelling is good though and you name it - the author went there. The writing also stopped me in my tracks a few times.
Still, I don’t really know what to think. Is it really bad or really good? Someone please tell me where I should land.
The storytelling is good though and you name it - the author went there. The writing also stopped me in my tracks a few times.
Still, I don’t really know what to think. Is it really bad or really good? Someone please tell me where I should land.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia