Avni Doshi

Burnt Sugar

Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, a searing literary debut novel set in India about mothers and daughters, obsession and betrayal "I would be lying if I say my mother's misery has never given me pleasure," says Antara, Tara's now-adult daughter. In her youth, Tara was wild. She abandoned her marriage to join an ashram, and while Tara is busy as a partner to the ashram's spiritual leader, Baba, little Antara is cared for by an older devotee, Kali Mata, an American who came to the ashram after a devastating loss. Tara also embarks on a stint as a beggar (mostly to spite her affluent parents) and spends years chasing a disheveled, homeless artist, all with young Antara in tow. But now Tara is forgetting things, and Antara is an adult--an artist and married--and must search for a way to make peace with a past that haunts her as she confronts the task of caring for a woman who never cared for her. Sharp as a blade and laced with caustic wit, Burnt Sugar unpicks the slippery, choking cord of memory and myth that binds mother and daughter. Is Tara's memory loss real? Are Antara's memories fair? In vivid and visceral prose, Tibor Jones South Asia Prize-winning writer Avni Doshi tells a story, at once shocking and empathetic, about love and betrayal between a mother and a daughter. A journey into shifting memories, altering identities, and the subjective nature of truth, Burnt Sugar is a stunning and unforgettable debut.

Mari-Claire Parrin

all the characters sucked and way to much talk about sex 

isabelle

Mae Erceg

I listened to the audiobook so maybe that’s what threw me for a loop but this truly felt like the worst psychotic fever dream and I hated it. I read this book to change my perspective on life and it definitely did that, 5 stars in that aspect, but so much of it was so negative and pessimistic and sad and angry. I am exhausted after finishing it. I would give this book another try in a handheld format but the audiobook was just too much for me. I don’t really recommend tbh. 2/5 stars

This is a tale of obsession and betrayal. This is a poisoned love story. But not between lovers - between mother and daughter. Tara and Antara, the woman and her angry shadow. But which one is which? Sharp as a blade and compulsively readable, Burnt Sugar slowly untangles the knot of memory and fiction that binds two women together, revealing the truth that lies beneath.

Joana da Silva

Why am I giving this book 3 stars instead of 4? Because I realized that my standards for the 4 stars have been all messed up and I've been giving it away almost for free. I'm sorry, Avni Doshi, this has nothing to do with your writing and everything to do with my lack of measure.
This is a book that I wouldn't usually go for but I'm glad the universe had other plans for me. Although I have a positive and healthy relationship with my mom, it was easy to relate to Tara and Antara because Avni Doshi's writing is so immaculate. The characters are very well built and so are their conflicts. The way the story was told made perfect sense and it unfolded in a beautiful way, even though the ending wasn't exactly up to my liking.

sabina

** spoiler alert **
           this was a weird read. it was mostly interesting even tho I wasn't that drawn in by the summary. near the end it got weird and out of hand for me, the story went to places I wasn't expecting but saw coming at the same time. honestly all I can think is antara needs some serious therapy, a child is not an answer, a way out. and god the bits about her imagining killing her baby and her family member show how unhinged she became by the end. 

also I don't know if I'm stupid for not getting it, but the last page, about her screaming and no one hearing, of her seeing only her own reflection in the mirror was a little confusing. I don't understand where it was cut of from reality and went to whatever that ending was. is that was was in her head? I have no idea.

** spoiler alert **
           can’t remember much but it was definitely a.. unique reading experience. such an odd book.

Fraser Simons

While somewhat uneven, I found this story about a traumatized married woman forced to take care of her mother responsible for her trauma, quite compelling. The tumultuous relationship between mother and daughter was nuanced and bold in its honesty. There is a deep acknowledgement of emotions altering memory, even as it contextualizes a memory from both perspectives such that the casual damage loved ones inflict on one another is depicted as mortal wounds that continue a generational cycle. 

The dynamics found in the family are immortalized and, I think, fairly well known and felt in far more than people like to admit. Patterning happens. Whether we want to or not. It is ingrained in our psyche, and as much as we do not want to become our parents. Nor do we want to even look at our dark thoughts. The absolute worst of us. 

Putting it on the page and coupling to the cycle where people we characterize as villainous in our lives end up being the template we all too often slip into. It’s a brilliant message, well executed. Intentionally uncomfortable and at once humanizing and condemnable. I found this impossible not to reflect upon while consuming it. No wonder, then, that the reaction is so polarizing.

Angbeen Abbas

this was actually so underwhelming tbh... more of a 2.5 than a 3.0. kind of felt like i got bored after the first few chapters, and i also found the narrator a bit unbearable (the problem isnt that shes unlikeable.... just not interesting enough lol). kind of a let down tbh.

Vigga

I liked it on audio but was a little hard to get through while reading:)

Shelby Doherty

** spoiler alert **
           Likes:
- Enjoyed the exploration of mother/daughter relationships
- Feel that it can relate to my own mother's experience in a certain sense
- The theme of aging/memory issues is one that greatly interests me
- Enjoy how at the beginning the narrator seems to be in charge, in control, and looking out for the best interests of her mother. By the end, we see her spiraling out of control, and have a better look at her life, and understand that she is not as caring and in control as she seemed.

Dislikes:
- There are many aspects that don't seem to go anywhere (her art, her relationship with Purvi and her husband, Kali Mata)
- I feel that the martial struggles and challenges with her extended family are not as interesting as her relationship with her mother and daughter.

A very solid book, and likely a good contender for the Booker Prize short list and the Prize itself. Doshi took a topic of familial relations and went to town exploring it through a Mother developing some kind of mental deterioration (I assumed Alzheimer's but it was never mentioned as far as I remember). The mother is Tara, the daughter is Antara, and they seem to be pitted against each other from the beginning.

That being said, I think the ending was drawn out. Without going into spoilers, it felt like watching the last Lord of the Rings movie. Each time I thought she had made her gand point, and had a powerful ending, I realized there was more. So I got pulled along to another grand point, with something emotional added to try to ramp it up, and then there was still more. 

I think her final ending felt kind of forced, and I disconnected from it. I wish we had ended on the window scene. That felt like a finale for Antara with her character development, and it still sticks in my mind.

I will say that if you liked this book, check out The Vegetarian as it also explores a woman's place in society, her relationships with her family members, and how she copes with reality. (Also, I just love that book and will plug it until I can't anymore 😂).

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Burnt Sugar

Author: Avni Doshi

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Recommended For...: contemporary

Publication Date: July 30, 2020

Genre: Contemporary

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNFed

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

Pages: 240

Synopsis: In her youth, Tara was wild. She abandoned her loveless marriage to join an ashram, endured a brief stint as a beggar (mostly to spite her affluent parents), and spent years chasing after a dishevelled, homeless 'artist' - all with her young child in tow. Now she is forgetting things, mixing up her maid's wages and leaving the gas on all night, and her grown-up daughter is faced with the task of caring for a woman who never cared for her.

This is a love story and a story about betrayal. But not between lovers - between mother and daughter. Sharp as a blade and laced with caustic wit, Burnt Sugar unpicks the slippery, choking cord of memory and myth that binds two women together, making and unmaking them endlessly.

Review: I had to dnf this read. The tried really hard to get into I just didn't care for the book after a few short attempts of trying it.

Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you.

Anca B

amy 

noor

✮⋆˙

Libby

Jule

Anusha Rangan

Xanderthan 

Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, a searing literary debut novel set in India about mothers and daughters, obsession and betrayal “I would be lying if I say my mother’s misery has never given me pleasure,” says Antara, Tara’s now-adult daughter. In her youth, Tara was wild. She abandoned her marriage to join an ashram, and while Tara is busy as a partner to the ashram’s spiritual leader, Baba, little Antara is cared for by an older devotee, Kali Mata, an American who came to the ashram after a devastating loss. Tara also embarks on a stint as a beggar (mostly to spite her affluent parents) and spends years chasing a disheveled, homeless artist, all with young Antara in tow. But now Tara is forgetting things, and Antara is an adult––an artist and married––and must search for a way to make peace with a past that haunts her as she confronts the task of caring for a woman who never cared for her. Sharp as a blade and laced with caustic wit, Burnt Sugar unpicks the slippery, choking cord of memory and myth that binds mother and daughter. Is Tara’s memory loss real? Are Antara’s memories fair? In vivid and visceral prose, Tibor Jones South Asia Prize–winning writer Avni Doshi tells a story, at once shocking and empathetic, about love and betrayal between a mother and a daughter. A journey into shifting memories, altering identities, and the subjective nature of truth, Burnt Sugar is a stunning and unforgettable debut.

Burnt Sugar

Reviews

Highlights