Burnt Sugar

Avni Doshi writes a novel deeply ingrained with the pain of debilitating mental diseases, the clash of different cultures and the ways that familial relationships are affected. Based in Pune, India Avni Doshi introduces her debut novel set in the present day through a stream of consciousness narrative of the main character Antara, an artist whose mother has been diagnosed with alzheimers. A woman who was brought and wrung through the dirt of India now has to overcome her past due to her mother’s condition, and in doing so Antara loses and gains different parts of herself that she didn’t realize were there before. Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, and rightfully so, Burnt Sugar is a very dark, emotional, and family oriented novel. 

Burnt Sugar follows the dysfunctional life of Antara, that was forced upon her by her mother Tara, who is now suffering from alzheimers. The relationship between mother and daughter is very much frayed and hanging by threads when Antara learns of her mother’s condition. Antara has strong feelings toward her mother, most of which are negative, and now put into the role of a caretaker she is pulled to her outer limits to care for someone who never truly cared for her. I have never been into a position of a caretaker and truly hope that I never need to, but Doshi makes the experience feel so real that I understand what was happening to Antara. The pursuit of doing her own research on alzheimers to try and find a way to help her mother, being shot down by doctors again and again, having to medicate her mother to a vegitative like state, the strain on her relationship with her husband, and the personal strain on her own life being taken away from her. It is truly a piece of art to read on the page all of the emotions, insecurities, and the unknown within Antara that Doshi provides the reader with.

Also I thoroughly enjoyed the stream of consciousness of the novel, it made it feel much more immersive and truly captured the mental state of Antara at all times. Each flashback flowed effortlessly with the rest of the story as if there was no gap, but the ages of Antara could still be heard between each word. 

“I point to my stomach and back to Ma. I feel bubbles in my throat, ones that have risen from my stomach, not the soft ones that form with soap but hard, plastic bubbles, lodged in place and growing. No sound comes from my mouth.”

The reader can feel the fear and uncomfortable nature that a young child under the age of five would feel while still having the narrative of a much older character. It is obvious that this is a flashback to a different time but it is still written in a way that the feelings of a younger narrator are coming through and overpowering the original. 

I have to say that the relationship between Antara and Tara is so complicated but beautifully portrayed and written. A daughter who despises her mother, but will try anything to try and save her, and a mother who has always hated her daughter but still shows signs of love due to her alzheimers. Antara has a mix of feelings for her mother, but the strongest of those are love that never goes away, and these feelings save the novel from being something full of hate, despair and vengeful feelings. Avni Doshi carefully writes a novel riddled with problematic themes that readers can easily connect to easily. Burnt Sugar is a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and one of the better books that I have read this past year. Doshi focuses more on the aspect of her characters more so than the situations that they are placed in, which allows the reader to connect with the characters and the novel. A setting and situation that is foreign to many readers can be difficult and distance the reader from the purpose of the novel and Doshi allows the reader to be fully immersed into the lives of the characters. This book has quite a few teachable moments and I could see it being used within a science classroom or a social studies class to study the effects of Alzheimer’s/dementia and the study of Indian culture. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read a dark story about fear, love, pain and hatred. Burnt Sugar is a very enjoyable novel that really invites the reader into the reality of struggles due to debilitating diseases, and familial strains. I would rate Burnt Sugar at a very solid 8.4/10, making it my second highest ranked novel in the 2020 shortlist only behind Shuggie Bain.