An intense and deeply riveting novel, Bright Burning Things vividly pulls the reader inside the head of Sonya as she battles alcoholism (and her sanity) while raging against the system to keep her son from being taken from her. The prose is alive, never letting up, and never sugar-coating the reality of Sonya's life on the edge. Or the serious consequences for her little boy. Between the lines are the subtle hints of unresolved backstory for the reader to contemplate. Sonya's childhood, the loss of her mother, and the emotional distance between her and her father. A breathless, emotional journey, worth taking. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishers for opportunity to read this ARC.

An emotional read. I felt so sorry for Sonya and Tommy. Sonya is not coping well with motherhood and needs to start taking better care of both her son and herself. Parts of the story felt so real which made it even more of an emotional read. I will remember this story for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

This is the author (who is also an actress and playwright)’s second novel – her first (which I have not read) was about sex-trafficking and she has made an equally difficult and brave choice of subject here – alcoholism.

The book is narrated by Sonya – the back story of who we piece together as the book progresses – although some remains opaque even to her. Her mother died when she was 7-8, and, her relationship with her crushed father never really properly developed, something which, at least as she sees it, was not aided by her stepmother who also cut them off from her mother’s family.

For a time she was a successful actress, but after a couple of failed and difficult relationships, quit the stage and at the book’s start is a single mum, living on benefits in an almost claustrophobically close relationship with two others: her 4-year old son Tommy and her rescue dog Herbie. The three make a mutually dependent tight knit group, and Sonya’s general (almost misanthropic) distrust of others (she has for example banished her father from all contact with his grandchild) – which she largely transmits to Tommy and Herbie - makes it an exclusive one.

But there is a fourth person in the relationship – alcohol – and Sonya’s relationship with that first threatens that with Tommy and Herbie and then causes – from her father, a concerned neighbour – a forceful intervention and a non-negotiated 12-week spell in a Catholic drying-out sanctuary. We follow Sonya before, during and after her spell there – as she sees her relationship with Tommy and Herbie disintegrate, alter and then tries to reassemble it in a more sustainable fashion – with a counsellor she first encounters in the before stage, and then officially in the during phase, both easing and complicating the after stage as his own dependencies and issues emerge.

The writing is both intimate and intense – capturing both a mother/young child relationship (with shared phrases, rituals and jokes – albeit a dysfunctional and increasingly neglectful one) and Sonya struggling with her inner demons (with alcohol a cause of many of her issues but also a cause of deeper symptoms going back to her mother’s unexplained death). Over time, her lifelong fascination with lights and fire transmits itself dangerously to Tommy.

Sonya’s actress past both inspires quotes and scenes from the stage to play out in her head as she contemplates her life, but also allows her to examine both the way she behaves under the influence, and the roles she needs to play to both make it through her course and convince others to return Tommy to her.

"I squeeze my eyes shut. Behind my lids a kaleidoscope of various shades and patterns of darkness play out. The creatures stir and rouse themselves, a kinetic force of nature, a flock programmed to fly thousands of miles, even in inclement weather, even if they might be flying to their death. My eyes open just as my mouth does. This shouldn’t happen, not while I’m sober, and not in front of this angry, wretched boy. It’s all I can do to witness the stream of abuse I hurl at the world, the boy, who turns and observes me in a detached manner, as if he’s watching a play, and maybe he is, and I’m entirely taken over by the character I’m playing"

The book will I think inevitably draw comparisons to “Shuggie Bain” (and already has in the Guardian’s 2021 Literary Fiction Preview) – although its important to point out that Bloomsbury announced the pre-emption of this book in January 2020, before Douglas Stuart’s masterpiece was even published in the UK and fully 6 months before the UK publication that lead on to its Booker win.

Although there are similarities there are differences.

In particular having a first party narrator is a very brave decision as it forces the author to put us in directly the mind of the person suffering with alcoholism – it is I think a gamble that pays off richly.

Interestingly for me: although Sonya’s life-choices will be alien to them, I think that her relationship with alcohol – and particular an almost romantic examination of the characters of the white wine she drinks - will be something that resonates a lot more closely with readers of literary fiction that Agnes Bain’s non-discriminatory cravings. In some ways it would have been interesting had this book been due for a February publication as I think it may have lead to a few Dry January’s being extended.

I do hope however that the success of Douglas Stuart’s book helps to gain this book’s the attention it richly deserves for another both heartbreaking and beautiful portrayal of alcohol addiction viewed through the prism of a mother/son relationship.

Trying hard to be a good mother Sonya has many conflicts and tribulations as she tries to fight addiction and her other self that appears when she has had drink. I found it difficult to relate to the characters and did not enjoy the story at all.

Sonya Moriarty was once a successful actress but her life is now spiralling out of control into alcoholism. Her very absent father finally steps in to intervene to protect Sonya’s four year old son Tommy from some of her worst behaviour. She is to have a three month detox in a convent.

This is a powerful, raw and emotional story as you are pulled in all directions for Sonya and Tommy. Sonya is so damaged you want to help her but also to shake her to be more responsible in caring for Tommy. She has been let down so badly by people in the past that your heart aches for her especially as her love for Tommy and Herbie the dog is never in any doubt. However, her mind loops and the appearance of the ‘bad fairy’ when she’s drinking means the intervention is overdue and Tommy’s life is certainly topsy-turvy. Tommy is an adorable child and whilst Sonya is an unconventional mother you know that if she can ditch the booze she will be a magical one. This is well written story which is very well told with real impact and some beautiful descriptions, especially vivid ones of the effects of her drinking. This is heart breaking at times particularly the separation of mother and child and the anxiety they both feel for this three months makes for compelling reading.

Overall, an emotional rollercoaster of a novel which is extremely thought provoking.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (UK and NZ) for the arc for an honest review.

I have felt every emotion reading this book. From anger to sympathy and back again. I wanted to shake this young mum to make her see sense and I wanted to look after them all at the same time. In this crazy year we are living in it seems topical and thought provoking to read a book like this. I think in 2021 this book will be talked about a lot.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

A book that grabs you on several levels, addiction, love and abandonment. Sonya is from Dublin, a single Mum dealing with the pressure all that brings and a lot of emotion from her youth, before Tommy was born she had a successful career as an actor (not allowed to say actress i think) in London. Her career took a nose dive just a her ex Howard also decided fatherhood wasn't in his plans, unfortunately wine became the new support mechanism the other half.
As Tommy hits 4 and a half Sonyas actions are getting the attention of others obviously not in a good way so action is needed. This is the emotional journey of Sonya as she battles with life and all it throws at her, Can she win the battle with the wine that's "the journey" we take with her.
This is a very well written and fascinating novel its charged with raw emotion and intrigue, has suspence with some great characters scattered throughout the book. Its all you need to keep you involved but is also a description of the pain many people have and indeed are going through everyday some winners and some don't. I think its safe to say no 2 stories of addiction are the same as there are no 2 identical humans on the planet there may be some similar stories and emotions but each tale is different hence it won't be anything you've fully heard before but it will be rewarding in many ways and will almost certainly challenge you in a healthy way so I highly recommend this book and have a feeling you won't want to put it down as you share Sonyas journey with Tommy and his friends (pets).

This book broke my heart, I loved it and couldn't stop reading it. Was completely enthralled. What a read.

Narrator Sonya draws us into her life struggling with alcoholism and bringing up her son Tommy alone without any support. Her love for Tommy is overwhelming so she resents the interference of people who intervene and whom she deeply resents, especially her father and her neighbour.

She seems to be on an endless downward spiral but her strength of character becomes more and more apparent as she goes through rehab and beyond. The rehab sections are bleak, both physically and emotionally. The régime is strict and some of the staff are uncaring, but Sonya discovers moments of hope and inspiration, especially from Jimmy, a fellow patient who has been in and out of the facility several times.

The character I did not find totally convincing was David. His background is a mystery and there was an undercurrent of nastiness and control from the start. I couldn't quite believe when Sonya asked him to get out of her life that he complied.

I found this novel totally engrossing, full of powerful emotions. I really wanted things to turn out well for Sonya.. I'd love to know what happens next for Sonya, her father, Tommy - and David who I can't imagine staying away for long!

Lisa Harding is certainly an author I want to read more of.

Bright Burning Things is a novel about addiction and recovery, as a single mother tries to create the life she wants for her son. Sonya was once a stage actress in London, loving the thrill of the stage, but now she's back in Ireland, a single mum to Tommy. Her, Tommy, and Herbie, their rescue dog, form a close knit trio, but Sonya can only keep it up by drinking bottles of wine each night, and things are starting to slip from her as she burns the fish fingers and feels like she loves Tommy too much to bear. When her neighbour seems to be spying on her and her estranged father turns up with an ultimatum, Sonya has to try and work out how she can keep Tommy.

This is a powerful look at alcoholism and its impact, especially on a small family without a lot of outside support. Written from Sonya's perspective, the narrative doesn't shy away from difficult emotions, and particularly the time Sonya spends in rehab is very raw, with her not sure what has happened to Tommy. There's still a lot of unanswered questions by the end, especially around Sonya's family and past as her father doesn't want to tell her what really happened and she doesn't find out exactly what Tommy experienced, which people might find frustrating but gives it a sense of reality. Given the type of story, you do almost want to know what would happen after the narrative itself ends, as you become quite invested in Sonya' recovery.

It is probably important to go into this book knowing it is about alcoholism, as addiction is a topic that might be difficult for some people to read about, but it is an intimate look at someone trying to recover and to look after their son, even in somewhat unconventional ways. The book also exposes the ways in which people don't get enough support when they're struggling and how it can be assumed that people have family members or close friends who can provide that support. Bright Burning Things is a gripping and readable book that deals with important topics.

Sonya lives with her son Tommy. She used to be an actress until she had Tommy but now fills that space for excitement and drama with plenty of booze, We first meet them as she runs head long into the sea, leaving Tommy alone on the beach; this is just the first of the bad decisions that come along the way. We follow Sonya as she falls further and further. dragging Tommy with her.
Such an emotion-filled story, with waves of pain and hurt coming through in every page. You want to shake Sonya for her foolishness and cuddle her for comfort at the same time. A fantastically handled story that will certainly make me think twice before re-filling the wine glass!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it