Bright Burning Things: A Novel

Written by Lisa Harding

Narrated by Lisa Harding

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 & Country

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063097186

Lisa Harding

Lisa Harding is a writer, actress, playwright. She received an MPhil in creative writing from Trinity College Dublin in 2014. Her short stories have been published in the Dublin Review, the Bath Short Story Anthology, HeadStuff, and Winter Papers. Her first novel, Harvesting, won the 2018 Kate O'Brien Award and was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award. She lives in Dublin.

Reviews for Bright Burning Things

[henrog-315853 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[Jessica · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I kept hoping it would go somewhere or get better and it just never did.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am so glad I listened to the audio version narrated by the author. At first I was frustrated by the speed of the narration, but I soon realized that the first person story of an alcoholic mother and her preschool son was necessary to explain her need for alcohol. Sonya Moriarty was once a successful London actress and has returned to Dublin. Her drinking is self-medication for her failure in London. It’s a harrowing portrayal of alcoholism from a perspective we seldom see. The reader sees from Sonya’s point of view, the nastiness of her neighbors and the pizza place that will no longer allow her credit. We see how she views her father and stepmother with hostility as they try to help her and her young son, Tommy. One of the things I found interesting was her views on the AA meetings she was forced to attend to regain custody of young Tommy. The meetings turned into a male vanity show rather than real support. Jenna Hager Bush recommended this book as the December Today show book club choice and I strongly agree.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[Melissa Street · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really didn’t like the book. It was written well

[Katie Metheny · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing, the manic display I have a motions, the tangled mess reality

[dawnlovesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.