In her youth, Tara was wild. She abandoned her arranged marriage to join an ashram, took a hapless artist for a lover, rebelled against every social expectation of a good Indian woman - all with her young child in tow. Years on, she is an old woman with a fading memory, 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 mother who never seemed to care for her. This is a poisoned love story. But not between lovers - between mother and daughter. Sharp as a blade and laced with caustic wit, Burnt Sugar gradually untangles the knot of memory and myth that bind two women together, revealing the truth that lies beneath.
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It’s interesting how polarizing this book is. After reading the novel, I found that, personally, I am a big fan. This novel was raw, brutal, and vulnerable too it’s core. I was hooked from the very beginning. Doshi’s writing is hypnotizing and teleported me into Antara’s mind so vividly. This was a very passionate read. I finished it wanting more.
I read some people’s commits and wonder if they took the novel too literally. Forgot that we were inside someone’s head, hearing their most hidden and secretive thoughts. I also wonder how it is so impossible for them to imagine someone having these thoughts. When they read the way the main character was raised and the challenges she faced because of decisions not made by herself, how can they not feel for this character we see abandoned and thought to be worthless again and again?
I also wonder if “You Exist Too Much”’s author drew any inspiration from this novel. I don’t know if reading that novel before this one influenced my liking for it at all.
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