Burnt Sugar : Book Review


Book Review

Title: Burnt Sugar
Author: Avni Doshi
Genre: Fiction 

Was compelled to pick this up as it was shortlisted for the Booker prize 2020. 

Burnt Sugar chronicles the story of a troubled mother-daughter relationship that manages to survive through the worst situations. Tara was a bohemian in her younger days who abandons her husband, spends her life in an ashram and begging on the streets despite being born to affluent parents. When she begins to forget things, her daughter Antara is compelled to look after her. During this tenure of a turbulent mother-daughter relationship, the story delves deep into the lives of several characters and their impact over one another. 

Written in first person from the point of view of Antara, the story moves back and forth in time. It entails Antara's problematic childhood at the Ashram with Tara, difficult moments in boarding school, inability to fit in with her peers, grappling with her own complexes and finding solace in art. The story primarily explores the nuances of retracing one's memory and how people thrive in their own realm of realities. 

The writing is compelling and arresting, drawing readers into the complicated lives of the characters. It touches upon the topics of loneliness, trauma endured by an individual due to being isolated by their near and dear ones. It entails the burden carried by a woman who is longing to escape the burdens of her responsibility but is unable to. The book also  captures the sensitive issue of dementia that causes some harrowing experiences of the family members of the affected one. 

Burnt Sugar a beautifully woven tale which is sorrowful, complex and grabs your mind with its unflinching portrayal of the stark truth. 

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