Bright Burning Things

by Lisa Harding

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Fiction. Literature. HTML: A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY * *A PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK AN INDIE NEXT PICK * A LIBRARYREADS PICK AN AMAZON EDITORS PICK* "On every page there are little shimmering bombs. Like Room, where parenthood is at once your jail and your salvation, it is almost claustrophobic�??but in the most glorious way."�??Lisa Taddeo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Women and Animal A rising international literary star makes her American debut with this visceral, tender, and brave portrait of addiction, recovery, and motherhood, as harrowing and intense as Shuggie Bain. Sonya used to perform on stage. She used to attend glamorous parties, date handsome men, ride in fast cars. But somewhere along the way, the stage lights Sonya lived for dimmed for good. In their absence, came darkness�??blackouts, empty cupboards, hazy nights she can't remember. What keeps Sonya from losing herself completely is Tommy, her son. But her immense love for Tommy is in fierce conflict with her immense love of the bottle. Addiction amplifies her fear of losing her child; every maternal misstep compels her to drink. Tommy's precious life is in her shaky hands. Eventually Sonya is forced to make a choice. Give up drinking or lose Tommy�??forever. Bright Burning Things is an emotional tour-de-force�??a devastating, nuanced, and ultimately hopeful look at an addict's journey towards rehabilitation and redemption. A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FROM: Washington Post, The Millions, PopSugar, Shondaland, Good Morning America, Nylon, Good Housekeeping, Town &am… (more)

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This was a heart-wrenching read. Sonya was once an actress in London but now she is a single mother living back in Ireland she is struggling with daily life looking after Tommy and doing what is best for him although she thinks everything is ok. She’s drinking too much blacking out, spiralling out of control, even Tommy has begun to notice the “bad fairy in the bottle” and eventually her father intervenes and she is sent away to detox at a convent for three months.
She is determined to do this and get her son back, but in the meantime, she learns that Tommy is in foster care as Mrs O’Malley couldn’t cope with him. Will she relapse? Will she get Tommy back?
I really felt for Sonya, although I didn’t like what she was doing her mental health wasn’t good at the time. People around her didn’t offer the support she needed and I can understand why things got too much for her.
It was raw and very real; this happens to more people than you would ever think of.

It was a great book, insightful, emotional and if you don’t shed a tear I’d be surprised!
I found the ending okay, however, I think I would have liked an epilogue or even a second book of what happened to Sonya and Tommy in the future.
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StressedRach | Jun 2, 2023 |

After picking this novel up at the library, I saw that it's part of Jenna Bush's book club, which was a huge turnoff because I'm not a fan of her father.

While reading it, I recalled the Danish film APPLAUSE and Nancy Tucker's debut novel, THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING, two superior works of art compared to BRIGHT BURNING THINGS.

I returned Lisa Harding's to the library after reading 50 pages.

JohnnyOstentatious | Mar 31, 2022 |

Sonya is a has-been actress, a mother of Tommy, and an alcoholic. When her neighbor notices Sonya's erratic behavior, she calls Sonya's father and forces him to take action. Sonya is required to enter treatment and be separated from Tommy for months. Although she resists, she recognizes that her recovery is critical to Tommy's well-being. During her recovery, Sonya starts to understand that her mother had also had some sort of illness, but not what she had been told. Both heartbreakng and redemptive, this book is beautifully and authentically told.
Thanks to HarperVia and Edelweiss for the ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given. (

)

rmarcin | Mar 7, 2022 |

this book is well written about a woman who is an acholic raising a child alone. After several public incidents while drunk, her child is taken from her until she can dry out and prove herself a capable parent. the descriptions of her addictive personality and time in a rehab center are striking. The story depicts her time in rehab and her desire to be with her child. at the same time that she is fighting her demons. I thought the book was well written although I felt that the end was a little disappointing. It seemed that the story abruptly ended. (

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henrog | Feb 2, 2022 |

Sonya is the mother of a four year old son and she is battling an addiction to alcohol. Her failed career as an actress and her troubled childhood haunt her and she soothes the pain by turning up the bottle. Suffering and neglected because of her addiction are her young son and their beloved dog.

Sonya's usually absent father intervenes and she agrees to check into a rehab facility so that she doesn't lose her son. While she is there she confronts old demons and vows to never get drunk in front of her child again. It is a tremendously hard, yet somehow still beautiful path for Sonya. I thought the writing in this novel was itself a bright and burning thing. I found myself tearing up more than once and I was so scared something bad was going to happen. It was really a poetic, poignant and moving portrayal of one woman's battle with addiction versus her love for her son. (

)

dawnlovesbooks | Jan 15, 2022 |

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Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (Shortlist – 2022)

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Read with Jenna (2021)

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Fiction. Literature. HTML:

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY * A PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK * AN INDIE NEXT PICK * A LIBRARYREADS PICK *AN AMAZON EDITORS PICK

"On every page there are little shimmering bombs. Like Room, where parenthood is at once your jail and your salvation, it is almost claustrophobic�??but in the most glorious way."�??Lisa Taddeo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Women and Animal

A rising international literary star makes her American debut with this visceral, tender, and brave portrait of addiction, recovery, and motherhood, as harrowing and intense as Shuggie Bain.

Sonya used to perform on stage. She used to attend glamorous parties, date handsome men, ride in fast cars. But somewhere along the way, the stage lights Sonya lived for dimmed for good. In their absence, came darkness�??blackouts, empty cupboards, hazy nights she can't remember.

What keeps Sonya from losing herself completely is Tommy, her son. But her immense love for Tommy is in fierce conflict with her immense love of the bottle. Addiction amplifies her fear of losing her child; every maternal misstep compels her to drink. Tommy's precious life is in her shaky hands.

Eventually Sonya is forced to make a choice. Give up drinking or lose Tommy�??forever.

Bright Burning Things is an emotional tour-de-force�??a devastating, nuanced, and ultimately hopeful look at an addict's journey towards rehabilitation and redemption.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FROM: Washington Post, The Millions, PopSugar, Shondaland, Good Morning America, Nylon, Good Housekeeping, Town &am

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