Standalone Novels
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Burnt Sugar | 2020 | Buy |
Avni Doshi made an immediate mark with her debut novel Burnt Sugar (2020), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Originally published in India under the title Girl in White Cotton (2019), the novel follows Antara, a young woman in Pune who must care for her aging mother, a woman who abandoned conventional life to join an ashram when Antara was a child. Their relationship is defined by resentment, obligation, and the difficulty of forgiving someone who never asked for forgiveness.
The novel received praise for its sharp, unsentimental examination of a mother-daughter relationship that does not follow the usual patterns of literary fiction. Doshi’s writing is precise and often uncomfortable, refusing to soften either character. Born in the United States and raised in several countries, Doshi brings an outsider’s perspective to the Indian setting that gives the novel its distinctive voice.