Publishers Weekly
★ 09/13/2021
In Irish writer Harding’s blistering U.S. debut, a former London stage actress finds her life in Dublin derailed by disappointment and alcoholism. Sonya is the single mother of four-year-old Tommy, and, one day while playing with him, she gets blackout drunk, goes for a dip in the ocean, and wakes up the next morning with neither son nor dog in sight. Panicked, she wanders the neighborhood asking people, “Have you seen a big black dog and a little boy?” As it turns out, both are fine, but Sonya isn’t, and her father sends her to rehab. She promises herself not to drink around her son again, though that pledge will be disastrously hard to keep. Harding brilliantly captures both the hilarity and wisdom of Sonya’s 12-step program, with her time in rehab poignantly complicated by Sonya’s separation from Tommy and her fear she might not be reunited with him. When Sonya views the world through sober eyes, the real struggle starts, and she movingly confronts the traumas that helped put the bottle to her lips in the first place. This unflinching portrait of a troubled, tender soul takes readers to the depths of the human heart. Agent: Clare Alexander, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
I have never read a book that addresses mental health and alcoholism in as transparent and beautiful a way as ‘Bright Burning Things'." — Jenna Bush Hagar
“An unforgettable portrait of human frailty and strength.” — People
"On every page, there are little shimmering bombs." — Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women
“Quietly devastating . . . Reminded me repeatedly of Shuggie Bain.” — The Observer (London)
"[A] wild ride, culminating in a final scene that combines hope, fear and beauty." — The Guardian
"Bright Burning Things is moving—humane and emotionally scrubbed raw....Both books [Shuggie Bain and Bright Burning Things] deal with addiction and the trauma that befalls the loved ones of addicts...Bright Burning Things, by contrast, offers both Sonya and the readers strands of hope." — Boston Globe
"[A] moving story of a mother battling addiction … Bright Burning Things joins Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Shuggie Bain as a portrait of female wreckage." — The Times (UK)
"Absolutely dazzling. While the subject matter is dear to my heart, I'd have loved it even if I knew nothing about addiction. It's instantly engrossing. Sonya's emotional interiority is fascinating and compelling." — Marian Keyes
"In Irish writer Harding’s blistering U.S. debut, a former London stage actress finds her life in Dublin derailed by disappointment and alcoholism....Harding brilliantly captures both the hilarity and wisdom of Sonya’s 12-step program, with her time in rehab poignantly complicated by Sonya’s separation from Tommy and her fear she might not be reunited with him....This unflinching portrait of a troubled, tender soul takes readers to the depths of the human heart." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Rich with layered character dynamics and unexpected turns, Bright Burning Things is riveting.” — Shelf Awareness
“Through Harding’s realistic writing, one feels the profound desperation and pain of addiction. Readers won’t soon forget this viscerally raw immersion into addiction.” — Library Journal (starred review)
"Grappling with the gap between faith and hopelessness, Harding shines with a heroine whose dogged triumphs accumulate over the course of this fast-paced and intensely lucid novel." — The New York Times Book Review
“Harding’s novel is, at its foundation, just the right story for this season: a woman who saves herself to give her son the ultimate gift of a healthy parent.” — Washington Post
"[Harding’s] writing is taut, and there is such an intensity, an urgency about the narrative that you find yourself turning the pages as if you fear Sonya might race out of sight. Bright Burning Things is a contemporary, zeitgeisty read and very satisfying.” — The Independent
“Lisa Harding is a vivid and original stylist and a gifted storyteller. This is a fabulous novel." — Kevin Barry, author of Night Boat to Tangier
“A moving novel about unconditional love, addiction, and dreams, Bright Burning Things will leave an undeniable mark on readers’ hearts.” — Shondaland
“A probing character study with insightful perspectives on addiction and single parenthood.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Unputdownable: infuriating, nerve-wracking and hugely enjoyable." — Roddy Doyle, author of Smile
"A tour-de-force." — Kirkus Reviews
“Gripping from start to finish, Bright Burning Things is a frank portrayal of flawed motherhood, substance abuse and generational trauma.” — PureWow
Lisa Taddeo
"On every page, there are little shimmering bombs."
Marian Keyes
"Absolutely dazzling. While the subject matter is dear to my heart, I'd have loved it even if I knew nothing about addiction. It's instantly engrossing. Sonya's emotional interiority is fascinating and compelling."
The Guardian
"[A] wild ride, culminating in a final scene that combines hope, fear and beauty."
People
An unforgettable portrait of human frailty and strength.”
Jenna Bush Hagar
I have never read a book that addresses mental health and alcoholism in as transparent and beautiful a way as ‘Bright Burning Things'."
Boston Globe
"Bright Burning Things is moving—humane and emotionally scrubbed raw....Both books [Shuggie Bain and Bright Burning Things] deal with addiction and the trauma that befalls the loved ones of addicts...Bright Burning Things, by contrast, offers both Sonya and the readers strands of hope."
The Observer (London)
Quietly devastating . . . Reminded me repeatedly of Shuggie Bain.
The Times (UK)
"[A] moving story of a mother battling addiction … Bright Burning Things joins Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Shuggie Bain as a portrait of female wreckage."
Shelf Awareness
Rich with layered character dynamics and unexpected turns, Bright Burning Things is riveting.”
Daily Mail (UK)
"[A] propulsive heart-wrencher…an alarming yet tender portrayal of the slow-burn impact of long-repressed grief."
Kevin Barry
Lisa Harding is a vivid and original stylist and a gifted storyteller. This is a fabulous novel."
The Independent
"[Harding’s] writing is taut, and there is such an intensity, an urgency about the narrative that you find yourself turning the pages as if you fear Sonya might race out of sight. Bright Burning Things is a contemporary, zeitgeisty read and very satisfying.
Roddy Doyle
Unputdownable: infuriating, nerve-wracking and hugely enjoyable."
Library Journal
★ 09/01/2021
Irish writer Harding (Harvesting) takes readers on an intimate tour of a woman's booze-addled mind, then ratchets up the heartbreak with a four-year-old and a dog. When Sonya Moriarty was an actress, she lived for applause and her passion controlled the stage, but it came to a screeching halt when she got pregnant. The baby's father didn't want the child and said Sonya wasn't "mother material," so she resolved to raise him alone. Now that her son Tommy is four, the only thing left to absorb her creative passion is alcohol; perpetually drunk Sonya relies on her rescue dog to protect Tommy. She barely remembers to feed either of them, and then it's fish fingers or pizza. One night, she scares herself by losing her temper, letting "the bad fairy in," as Tommy says. The neighbors believe she's neglecting Tommy, so Sonya's estranged father convinces her to go into rehab, where she dutifully works her 12-week program. But to get Tommy back, Sonya must prove she can live responsibly in the real world, which is harder than she thought. VERDICT Through Harding's realistic writing, one feels the profound desperation and pain of addiction. Readers won't soon forget this viscerally raw immersion into addiction.—K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX
Kirkus Reviews
2021-09-29
A downtrodden single mother in Dublin shares her inner torment as alcoholism puts her at risk of losing the 4-year-old son she adores.
Sonya is a former actress who lost her career and lover when she decided to have her baby. Her narration is imbued with theatrical histrionics both mesmerizing and horrifying—mostly horrifying. The manic affection and pride with which Sonya describes her isolated life with son Tommy and dog Herbie, whom Sonya calls her other “boy,” are belied by the filth and squalor they clearly inhabit. Sonya is a mother who leaves a 4-year-old alone on the beach while she swims in her underwear with her imaginary, “lethal and irresistible…sidekick”; who drinks three bottles of wine and passes out while Tommy sits hungry in front of the television; who, in a burst of obsessive love, presses Tommy against her stomach as if to stuff him back into her womb, almost literally smothering him until he escapes her hold; who slaps him in a pizzeria, where a stranger named David Smythe steps in to pay for their food out of concern and suggests she get help. The sense of impending disaster looms until Sonya’s supposedly estranged father shows up and forces her into rehab, where she interacts with three key characters: Sister Anne, whose spirituality is hard for Sonya to accept but who sees her as redeemable; fellow addict Jimmy, who can't cure himself but offers Sonya practical support; and David Smythe, who (too) coincidentally turns out to be a former addict–turned-counselor and who may or may not offer the safe haven Sonya needs. Harding eschews sentimentality while making it clear that her characters, however warped, are complex human beings. But even after Sonya returns home and regains custody of Tommy, the reader cannot relax and trust that Tommy will be safe in her care.
A tour de force of anguish made bearable by glimmers of redemption.
