Fiction

Burnt Sugar

Burnt Sugar

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-06 14:55:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Avni Doshi
  • ISBN：024144151X
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Cabbie ，

Sometimes you'll be watching a movie or TV series that portrays the ideal family， one where problems are discussed and resolved， where mothers dispense hugs and wisdom to daughters in equal measure， and you think to yourself， "what a crock of sh*t"。 This is what I imagine Antara， the protagonist of Avni Doshi's Burnt Sugar would think。 Age 36， she's resentful of the way she has been raised， despises her mother who has recently developed Alzheimer's， but can't cut the ties。The story is set in Pun Sometimes you'll be watching a movie or TV series that portrays the ideal family， one where problems are discussed and resolved， where mothers dispense hugs and wisdom to daughters in equal measure， and you think to yourself， "what a crock of sh*t"。 This is what I imagine Antara， the protagonist of Avni Doshi's Burnt Sugar would think。 Age 36， she's resentful of the way she has been raised， despises her mother who has recently developed Alzheimer's， but can't cut the ties。The story is set in Puna， India， and narrated by Antara who intersperses scenes of her current life with episodes she remembers from her upbringing。 Tara， her mother， didn't conform to the life society expected her to lead。 She left her husband and his overbearing mother to live in an ashram， the source of Antara's first memories。Memory is a key theme of the novel。 In one scene Antara tells her grandmother she remembers the time her mother added chilli to her food。 "Your mother didn’t add the chilli to your khichdi。 I added ginger to it because you had a very bad cold"， says Nani。 Later， Tara's doctor explains， "memory is a work in progress。 It’s always being reconstructed"。 The daughter tries to mitigate the effects of her mother's dementia by trying to keep the memories alive， but whatever Antara relates is her own truth （although she admits to telling lies） and not Tara's。As the story unfolds the daughter seems to morph into her mother and you sometimes wonder whose thoughts are being spoken。 No matter how much Antara wants to be her own woman， live her own life， she cannot escape her mother: "I understood how deeply connected we were， and how her destruction would irrevocably lead to my own"。 In the end， you have a great deal of sympathy and admiration for the woman who has lived her own life。 As for Antara， you can't help thinking that she'd be better off living in the present， rather than continually picking over the past。 。。。more

Casey Marlow ，

If you enjoy character-driven books that leave things up to interpretation， Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi is for you。This debut novel explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship， alternating between the past traumas that defined their relationship and current day as the mother experiences memory loss。 The author makes you question both the mother’s and the daughter’s reliability as you learn about their lives。I expected the mother-daughter relationship and memory loss to be emotional element If you enjoy character-driven books that leave things up to interpretation， Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi is for you。This debut novel explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship， alternating between the past traumas that defined their relationship and current day as the mother experiences memory loss。 The author makes you question both the mother’s and the daughter’s reliability as you learn about their lives。I expected the mother-daughter relationship and memory loss to be emotional elements for me， but those feelings didn’t come though。 The most evocative part was Doshi’s ability to zoom into a moment and make you FEEL the discomfort， particularly with an intense focus on the body。This is a tough one to review and a great example of why I don’t like star ratings。 The elements that made it difficult for me to engage （a lot of physiological discomfort and ambiguous events） are central to the story。Whether you love or it not， Burnt Sugar inspires great discussion 。。。more

Terry ，

I might have titled this novel A Necessary Madness。

Lisa Petzold ，

I think there are the right times and the wrong times to pick up a certain book。 This was the wrong time for me to pick up this one。 It was hard to read the story between mother and daughter。 I found it dark， bleak， and mean。 Some beautiful imagery in the writing， but just wasn’t for me。

Leandra S ，

Burnt Sugar is the debut novel of Indian author， Avni Doshi。 Let me just say， I’m amazed that this is her first novel。 The story has so much depth， it’s incredibly reflective， and truly powerful in the way it exposes the impacts of childhood trauma and the role memory plays in the development of family dynamics and personal identity。 The story follows the complex relationship between Antara and her mother from childhood through to adulthood and motherhood。 Though there’s no distinct plot， becaus Burnt Sugar is the debut novel of Indian author， Avni Doshi。 Let me just say， I’m amazed that this is her first novel。 The story has so much depth， it’s incredibly reflective， and truly powerful in the way it exposes the impacts of childhood trauma and the role memory plays in the development of family dynamics and personal identity。 The story follows the complex relationship between Antara and her mother from childhood through to adulthood and motherhood。 Though there’s no distinct plot， because it’s literary fiction and thus more character driven， the plot is the ebb and flow of the internal struggle Antara navigates as a result of her mothers ow internal struggles， choices and behaviours。This book provides impeccable insight into the complexities of the human mind and human experience， and is absolutely one of the most well-thought through， insightful novels I’ve read in a long time。Even if you don’t relate to Antara’s experience specifically， the understanding of the relationship between internal feeling and external actions/behaviours is incredibly interesting and highly relatable。 This is the human experience！ I loved this book - not because it’s a beautiful story but because it’s anything but。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I had to read this because someone said it was "corrosive"。 I love it。We dissolve with questions。 Even question marks have always seemed strange to me， a hook from the hand of some nightmare。 （view spoiler）[The narrator is so lost， she doesn't have anything to hold on to at all。 No foundation of solid relationships， no shared memories， no conclusions， no solid ground。 That's a key aspect of the character for me， and that she doesn't know even know what questions to ask。 She thinks she can see s I had to read this because someone said it was "corrosive"。 I love it。We dissolve with questions。 Even question marks have always seemed strange to me， a hook from the hand of some nightmare。 （view spoiler）[The narrator is so lost， she doesn't have anything to hold on to at all。 No foundation of solid relationships， no shared memories， no conclusions， no solid ground。 That's a key aspect of the character for me， and that she doesn't know even know what questions to ask。 She thinks she can see sub-atomic particles under a microscope。 Google searches， life coaches， messed up father figures， ephemeral mother figures， psychopathic nuns。 。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Random quotes I don't remember highlighting: seeing a reflection shout is similar to watching television。 my mother said they were trading their bad memories for a stranger’s。I wish moderation were a comfortable state。By the time we left the ashram， it was 1989。 I was seven years old。 Sometimes I can feel that girl crowning at the back of my throat， trying to come out through any orifice she can。 But I swallow her until the next time she wants to be born I want to cry for being stupid， for giving him the tools to make this incision。This is a long and drawn out loss， where a little bit goes missing at a time。 I think about every decision I’ve made until this point that has brought me here， and I wonder how much is because it was easy。I stopped seeing the therapist soon after that because she asked too many questions。 Wasn’t her job to sit and listen？ In fact， worse than the thought of my parents’ abandonment were all the unanswered questions she posed， the ones that continue to float around。 Anytime I come close to answering one， a whole series of other doubts assert themselves。 I wonder at the terror physicists must have felt when the laws of Newton failed under a microscope。 They poked a little too far。 Hating the playground felt good， gave a direction to my feeling of unease， grounded it in an object that I could see。 This contempt still draws up the moment I feel uncomfortable。 I disown so I can never be disowned。 I rub my eye。 White from the corner sticks like glue on my fingers。 ‘I don’t know。 I don’t know what to make of it。Though if they repeat it long enough， if the act is internalized – would it be an act any more？ Can a performance of pleasure， even love， turn into a true experience if one becomes fluent enough in it？ When does the performance become reality？Otherwise my reading and writing skills were passable， and the teachers praised my mechanical handwriting。 Submission was apparent in every line I wrote。 She has a smile on her face that is worn too tightly。Yes， I dripped on occasion too， but I was always able to seal myself up again。 ‘And doesn’t it make sense that people want to leave？’ I asked。 The therapist jotted something down and asked me to elaborate。 I told him that staying doesn’t have the appeal， the mystery， of escape。 To stay is to be staid， to be resigned， to believe this is all there will ever be。 Aren’t we creatures made for searching， investigation， dominion？ Aren’t we built to believe there can always be something better？ Neither has listening。 There was a breakdown somewhere about what we were to one another， as though one of us was not holding up her part of the bargain， her side of the bridge。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Nicky Shellens ，

Although most people on here seem to find this is an examination of a toxic mother-daughter relationship， I found it to be as much about memory， time and individuals' identities。 What is true and what is not etc。 Really strong writing， with lots of points to ponder; however there were one or two confusions in the narrative which I found irritating - the jumping timeline was effective but for it to work there needed to be more clarity in a couple of details。 In addition the pace was slow in place Although most people on here seem to find this is an examination of a toxic mother-daughter relationship， I found it to be as much about memory， time and individuals' identities。 What is true and what is not etc。 Really strong writing， with lots of points to ponder; however there were one or two confusions in the narrative which I found irritating - the jumping timeline was effective but for it to work there needed to be more clarity in a couple of details。 In addition the pace was slow in places and on occasion I struggled to keep concentrating。 Probably needs a second （and third） reading to get the most out of it。 。。。more

Sandi ，

Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize Burnt Sugar has some high points， but it is a tough read。 The novel set in Pune， India is about Antara， an alternative artist， having to care for her mother who has dementia。 The mother who neglected and abused her as a child and has continued to be unrepentant and cruel towards her in adulthood。 The bond between mother and daughter is the key theme of the novel。 It also questions what can be known — of others and of ourselves。 Plus， the role memory plays in Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize Burnt Sugar has some high points， but it is a tough read。 The novel set in Pune， India is about Antara， an alternative artist， having to care for her mother who has dementia。 The mother who neglected and abused her as a child and has continued to be unrepentant and cruel towards her in adulthood。 The bond between mother and daughter is the key theme of the novel。 It also questions what can be known — of others and of ourselves。 Plus， the role memory plays in this。 As other readers have noted the story is dotted with jarring yuck moments that don't seem to add much to the narrative。 Not an enjoyable novel but a thought provoking read。 。。。more

Gabrielle Curtin ，

I didn't like this book although I could relate to the issues， the differences in our memory due to our own vety unique perspectives。 I'm wondering whether I need to like or relate to characters to like a book。。not sure as yet if that is what drives my like / don't like a particular book。 I read it after Shuggie Bain and found Burnt Sugar wanting。 Maybe it was an unprecedented fair comparison as I couldn't put Shuggie down。 I didn't like this book although I could relate to the issues， the differences in our memory due to our own vety unique perspectives。 I'm wondering whether I need to like or relate to characters to like a book。。not sure as yet if that is what drives my like / don't like a particular book。 I read it after Shuggie Bain and found Burnt Sugar wanting。 Maybe it was an unprecedented fair comparison as I couldn't put Shuggie down。 。。。more

peter mackey ，

Shortlisted for Booker was very generous indeed。 Was simply too feminist 'women-are-always- victims' for me。 If you are a regular Guardian reader then maybe you will enjoy this book。。。。otherwise perhaps best to avoid it。 Not a book for elderly males。 Shortlisted for Booker was very generous indeed。 Was simply too feminist 'women-are-always- victims' for me。 If you are a regular Guardian reader then maybe you will enjoy this book。。。。otherwise perhaps best to avoid it。 Not a book for elderly males。 。。。more

Carolyn DeCarlo ，

A difficult read for me， I found this book slow and depressing。 There aren't really any likeable characters to look forward to when returning to these pages。 I read the majority of this novel while being hospitalized， and it brought me no joy or respite from my conditions。 There's a severe lack of kindness between the women in this book， particularly between mother and daughter and their ability to give anything of themselves over to the other。 Not a lot to say about this title in retrospect。 A difficult read for me， I found this book slow and depressing。 There aren't really any likeable characters to look forward to when returning to these pages。 I read the majority of this novel while being hospitalized， and it brought me no joy or respite from my conditions。 There's a severe lack of kindness between the women in this book， particularly between mother and daughter and their ability to give anything of themselves over to the other。 Not a lot to say about this title in retrospect。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I liked reading a book set in India。 Interesting to see the art project as a kind of character in the book。 Compare the role of the art work in Scorpionfish， by Natalie Bakopoulos， and The Woman Upstairs， by Clare Messud。This book is about - losing things and finding things and losing them againlying and telling the truth and not saying anything and letting the listener think you agree minutia vs the big picturerelationships between family members and spouseshow you see yourself and how others s I liked reading a book set in India。 Interesting to see the art project as a kind of character in the book。 Compare the role of the art work in Scorpionfish， by Natalie Bakopoulos， and The Woman Upstairs， by Clare Messud。This book is about - losing things and finding things and losing them againlying and telling the truth and not saying anything and letting the listener think you agree minutia vs the big picturerelationships between family members and spouseshow you see yourself and how others see you and how you think others see youp23 Tara roasts eggplant， adds chilis， green onions， fried cumin seeds， and torn leaves of coriander。 This description makes my mouth water。p25 My art is not about lying。 p27 I have been working on a project for the past three years。 。 。 。 I drew the face of a man from a picture I found。p28 Ma called it my game of Chinese whispers。 。 。 。 Weeping， she said I was a traitor and a liar。 p169 Reza Pine was never a mentor for me。 He was sloppy， and never had the discipline required to make art。 。。。more

Catherine Woodman ，

The first paragraph of this book is both beautifully written and sets the reader up for what is to follow--a book about the all time problematic mother-daughter relationship。 This one has plenty of twists， it is not like anything that you have read before。 In fact it is a grandmother-mother-daughter-granddaughter tale， and the daughter is struggling with both her off spring and her mother。 Her father isn't what you would call problem free either。The narrator is an Indian artist named Antara， who The first paragraph of this book is both beautifully written and sets the reader up for what is to follow--a book about the all time problematic mother-daughter relationship。 This one has plenty of twists， it is not like anything that you have read before。 In fact it is a grandmother-mother-daughter-granddaughter tale， and the daughter is struggling with both her off spring and her mother。 Her father isn't what you would call problem free either。The narrator is an Indian artist named Antara， whose mother is presenting symptoms of Alzheimer’s。 The doctors offer only a dose of vague hope; there is no concrete diagnosis and certainly no cure。 Hovering in the dusk of competency， Antara’s mother still manages to live alone， but increasingly she wanders， forgets where she is and what she’s doing。 As her only child， Antara embraces the responsibility of caring for her with a determination threaded with resentment and even bouts of suspicion。 There is a lot of graphic descriptions not of sex but other bodily functions。 Well written。 。。。more

Kara ，

I feared this book was going to be a simplistic story of a daughter caring for her aging mother with Alzheimer’s， but it was so much more。 Set in India the story unfolds as you learn Antara’s history and the complexity of her relationship with her mother。 Loved that it makes you ponder how much memories are actually true reflections of what happened and they are really defined by your own perceptions and beliefs。

Leela Shamash ，

this beautifully written masterpiece of a book was so emotionally true to the intensity of a mother-daughter relationship it was hard for me to read。 it was so good it was painful。 fuck。

_Readerwhy ，

Avni Doshin esikoisromaani Burnt Sugar keikkui huojuvalla tbr-listallani， mutta kun se valittiin Booker Prize -ehdokkuuden lisäksi myös Women’s Prize for Fiction -kilpailun pitkälistalle oli minun pakko saada se käsiini heti。 

（Blogistani löytyy välilehti， jossa olen luetellut kaikki tähän kirjallisuuskilpailun ehdokaskirjat vuodesta 2011 eteenpäin）。Lähdin lukemaan Burnt Sugaria sillä oletuksella， että se on kompleksinen kuvaus äiti-tytär-suhteesta。 Sitä se onkin， mutta myös paljon muuta。 Ehkä Avni Doshin esikoisromaani Burnt Sugar keikkui huojuvalla tbr-listallani， mutta kun se valittiin Booker Prize -ehdokkuuden lisäksi myös Women’s Prize for Fiction -kilpailun pitkälistalle oli minun pakko saada se käsiini heti。 

（Blogistani löytyy välilehti， jossa olen luetellut kaikki tähän kirjallisuuskilpailun ehdokaskirjat vuodesta 2011 eteenpäin）。Lähdin lukemaan Burnt Sugaria sillä oletuksella， että se on kompleksinen kuvaus äiti-tytär-suhteesta。 Sitä se onkin， mutta myös paljon muuta。 Ehkä liikaakin kaikkea muuta。 En osaa edes sanoa， pidinkö tästä kirjasta vai en。 Doshin romaani sisältää useampia valtavan hienoja kohtia ja erityisesti teoksessa esiin tuleva koston tematiikka on toteutettu järisyttävällä tavalla。 Toisaalta mietin liiankin usein kirjaa lukiessani， että miksi jonkun tietyn tapahtuman kuvaus oli tämän romaanin kannalta tarpeen。Burnt Sugar alkaa tilanteesta， jossa päähenkilö Antaran äiti on alkanut kärsiä muistisairaudesta ja Antara tajuaa， että tämän vuoksi hän ei voi koskaan enää ottaa esiin niitä asioita， joita hän haluaisi äitinsä kanssa selvittää。”But now， I can't even the tally between us。 The reason is simple - my mother is forgetting and there is nothing I can do about it。 There is no way to make her remember the things she has done in the past， no way to baste her in guilt。”Antaralla on oma taideprojekti， johon kuuluu mm。， että hän piirtää samaa kasvokuvaa päivästä toiseen。 Alunperin kyseessä oli valokuva， josta hän piirsi kuvan ja piirretystä kuvasta taas seuraavana päivänä kuvan ja niin edelleen。 Projektin aikana piirrossarjan käynnistänyt kuva on ehtinyt hukkua ja vähitellen käy ilmi， että kyse ei ollut kenen tahansa valokuvasta。Doshi käsittääkseni satirisoi teoksessaan intialaista kulttuuria ja sen tapoja， mutta tämä on aluetta， jonka suhteen olen hyvin epävarmoilla vesillä。Äidin muistisairaus tuo roppakaupalla mustaa mönjää Antaran ja hänen aviopuolisonsa elämään ja teoksen kerronta hajoaa ikään kuin muistisairauden logiikkaa jäljitellen。 Mitä on tarpeen nostaa menneisyydestä esiin？ Mitä jos tärkeintä on se， johon ei ole enää pääsyä？

Burnt Sugar jättää minut hämmennyksen valtaan。 Teoksessa on paljon voimaa， mutta kosolti myös elementtejä， jotka purkavat teoksen jännitettä。 Ehkä niin on tarkoituskin。 。。。more

Ulía Moreno ，

Me lanzo sin pensarlo mucho， a toda lectura que ahonde en la compleja y difícil relación entre madre e hija。 Y con este libro así me pasó。 Siento que no ha tocado en mi resortes como otras novelas。 Pero tiene una habilidad grande en transportarte a un mundo que aunque lejano （Transcurre en la India） tiene lugares comunes。 Deja sin aire en algunos pasajes。 Y sufres cuando entras en el delirio que una dependencia brutal puede ejercer en una mujer。 Un libro de emociones sin edulcorar。 Cruda y catár Me lanzo sin pensarlo mucho， a toda lectura que ahonde en la compleja y difícil relación entre madre e hija。 Y con este libro así me pasó。 Siento que no ha tocado en mi resortes como otras novelas。 Pero tiene una habilidad grande en transportarte a un mundo que aunque lejano （Transcurre en la India） tiene lugares comunes。 Deja sin aire en algunos pasajes。 Y sufres cuando entras en el delirio que una dependencia brutal puede ejercer en una mujer。 Un libro de emociones sin edulcorar。 Cruda y catártica。 。。。more

Alison Jacques ，

4。5*。 An intelligent， sharp， strong book。 At times reminiscent of Ottessa Moshfegh in its presentation of the realness of cruel or inappropriate thoughts and uncontained bodies。 Lots of people on Goodreads really hate this book！ I found the protagonist Antara relatable and the writing quite profound at some moments。

Linh ，

Burnt Sugar was written by an author of Indian descent raised in the US。 The book wasn't grounded in any reality and had elements of Wild Wild Country and The Girls by Emma Kline。There were some moments of crisp writing in the form of sentences that you could unpack。 That's probably what hooked me into this novel in the first place。 However， a few interesting sentences when mixed with 98% of the text being either gratuitous or a caricature of reality is drivel。 After two attempts at this novel， Burnt Sugar was written by an author of Indian descent raised in the US。 The book wasn't grounded in any reality and had elements of Wild Wild Country and The Girls by Emma Kline。There were some moments of crisp writing in the form of sentences that you could unpack。 That's probably what hooked me into this novel in the first place。 However， a few interesting sentences when mixed with 98% of the text being either gratuitous or a caricature of reality is drivel。 After two attempts at this novel， I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to。 。。。more

Michaela Ward ，

I kept reading this book as it is 1st book I could about a Mom with Alzheimer’s since mine died 10 years ago。 I wanted to connect which I didn’t and questioned why I kept reading？ This morning I woke up and couldn’t even remember the ending！ I find that kind of funny。 I can’t recommend or not， just so so book， expected more。

Sarah Cavar ，

It was the grotesque ableism for me。

Asha ，

This was brilliant！ I think we have found my new favorite read of the year！ （so far at least。） The author's writing is sharp， dark， and unsettling making the tension between the mom and daughter so genuine。 I cannot believe this is her debut novel。 I will read whatever she publishes from here on out！ This was brilliant！ I think we have found my new favorite read of the year！ （so far at least。） The author's writing is sharp， dark， and unsettling making the tension between the mom and daughter so genuine。 I cannot believe this is her debut novel。 I will read whatever she publishes from here on out！ 。。。more

Saniya Ahmad ，

"I would be lying if I said my mother's misery has never given me pleasure。"This is the story of Tara and Antara， mother and daughter， a duo that has survived this life physically together but emotionally apart， all too wary of each other。 Tara has had a wild past; she married a man who didn't love her enough， so she escapes her prison， her daughter alongside her， to join an ashram。 When that too doesn't work out， she briefly begs for money to sustain herself and her daughter， and then she meets "I would be lying if I said my mother's misery has never given me pleasure。"This is the story of Tara and Antara， mother and daughter， a duo that has survived this life physically together but emotionally apart， all too wary of each other。 Tara has had a wild past; she married a man who didn't love her enough， so she escapes her prison， her daughter alongside her， to join an ashram。 When that too doesn't work out， she briefly begs for money to sustain herself and her daughter， and then she meets Reza， a self-acclaimed artist， who she is obsessed with。 But all this was decades ago。 Now she's an aged woman， who is forgetting things， and Antara is desperate for a diagnosis， something to verify that her mother is crazy， that she is a madwoman。 But she also realizes that if her mother is indeed ill， Antara will have to care for her， and she does not have it in her to do that。Honestly， it's been a while since I read such a disturbing and unsettling book。 Both mother and daughter have such nauseatingly terrifying feelings towards each other。 It is so raw and unfiltered that it makes you want to gag at times。 Especially when the story progresses and the women get viler， it makes you shudder how disturbing their thought process can be。 The story is not just about mother-daughter dynamics， but also their relationship as individual women。 Both play the role of mother and daughter at some point in their life and it is just unnerving how they deal with each other。 The prose， however， was lyrical and wonderful。 Doshi had the ability to make you imagine the scene， no matter how disgusting。 She writes beautifully and even though the subject matter was extremely disturbing， she did a wonderful job with it。 Can't wait to read more from her。 。。。more

Glennys Egan ，

I really enjoyed this exploration of complicated caregiving relationships， womanhood， grief， and memory。 The writing is sharp and at times crude and that really worked for me。 I found myself more and more enamored with our suffering protagonist but also more and more concerned for her reliability， which is an interesting mirror of what she’s going through with her own mother。 I would probably give this 4。5 stars — it didn’t blow me away but it is a concise， enjoyable read that packs a lot to thi I really enjoyed this exploration of complicated caregiving relationships， womanhood， grief， and memory。 The writing is sharp and at times crude and that really worked for me。 I found myself more and more enamored with our suffering protagonist but also more and more concerned for her reliability， which is an interesting mirror of what she’s going through with her own mother。 I would probably give this 4。5 stars — it didn’t blow me away but it is a concise， enjoyable read that packs a lot to think about into it。 。。。more

Elena ，

Very strong， promising first and last chapters， everything in the middle - disappointing

Sarah O'Riordan | travelseatsreads ，

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 fr 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。 。。。more

Alexandra ，

I oscillated between being mesmerised and feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the mother-daughter relationship being described here。 Neither of them come out well from this and in the end I wasn’t sure who I felt more empathy for。 Very well-written。

Mary Curran ，

Read as an audiobook while doing my Covid walks，

Gabrielle Brais Harvey ，

Plutôt pénible honnêtement。

Muslihah ，

A difficult read about the tumultuous relationship between a woman and her mother with Alzheimer's。 This book really exemplifies how pain and betrayal can be dyadic and mutually reinforcing， especially within families。 A difficult read about the tumultuous relationship between a woman and her mother with Alzheimer's。 This book really exemplifies how pain and betrayal can be dyadic and mutually reinforcing， especially within families。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Burnt Sugar

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Burnt Sugar&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Burnt Sugar&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0