Book Review: Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

RACHEL SOO THOW - 1 MAR 2021

I think I arrived to the party a bit late, but this novel was exquisitely written — named as the ‘Book of the Year 2020’ by the Guardian, Economist, Spectator and more, this poignant debut by Doshi examines the relationship between mothers and daughters and the betrayal that forever lies beneath the surface.

Let’s go back in time to when a young Tara abandons her arranged marriage to join an Ashram, and a hapless artist becomes the father of her young daughter Antara - a daughter exposed to the depths of rebellion and the challenges of fighting against the norm and expectations of a ‘good Indian woman’. Fast forward to the modern age and Tara is an old woman with a fading memory, and her grown-up daughter becomes immersed in the depths of caring for a mother whose absence through childhood becomes the tie that binds these two women together. Each page is laced with wit and memories that come flying out not gently but with sharp force – unsettling memories and venomous thoughts spill onto the scene and there are startling moments of brilliance.

Doshi succeeds in illustrating painful, fragile human emotions and forces us to examine the truth about relationships and how not all stories have happy endings. There were parts of this novel that were uncomfortable and confronting: the deep cultural ties that bind a mother and daughter are traditionally so sacred, yet Burnt Sugar exposes the bitterness of a relationship breaking apart at the seams. The pressure to act in a certain way as a woman is often glorified but when we work against the norm through resentment and honest opinion, we are often crucified and vilified.

Some moments rang true for me personally. Growing up in a world where we try not to compare, we are still subconsciously noticing differences in relationships, conversations and reactions. This inevitable toxicity is difficult to admit, but Doshi’s writing has a way of exploring attempts to belong: a need to exhibit an unsung ‘duty’ within relationships and the way domesticity will always sit within the ‘bittersweet’.

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