Scan barcode
A review by okiecozyreader
Burst by Mary Otis
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Last year I really loved when Mary Otis led our book discussion and I have been excited to read her new book. She has written other short stories and felt this one could be developed into a novel. It’s still a relatively quick listen 4-5 hours (depending on speed).
Burst is a mother - daughter story dealing with addiction, Musical Ear Syndrome and how different things affect generations (of women). Throughout her life, it has just been her (Viva) and her artistic mother Charlotte, as they move to town to town and live with different people. Her mother, an alcoholic, loves her fiercely and tries to keep her in dance and her life more stable. As the book goes on, I felt like we heard from the mother’s POV more (but I can’t remember for sure).
This is my favorite Zibby Books release so far.
“…secret brilliant artists walk among us daily.” Author’s note
Sequence is about …”bursting free.” Ch 30
I enjoyed the audiobook from Libro.fm. Thank you for providing copies to librarians.
“She thought that being a neighbor meant seeing people regularly, but not as they are really are… to know a neighbor meant to view only a little piece of someone’s life, usually the same piece over and over.” Ch 22
“… she would replay what she thought she saw earlier that morning, reframing it in different ways. That was the problem with memory, the process of focusing on one thing necessarily replaced the exclusion of something else. Sometimes the something else was the most important part.” Chapter 14
“What kind of mother envied her own daughter’s joy?” Ch 4
Burst is a mother - daughter story dealing with addiction, Musical Ear Syndrome and how different things affect generations (of women). Throughout her life, it has just been her (Viva) and her artistic mother Charlotte, as they move to town to town and live with different people. Her mother, an alcoholic, loves her fiercely and tries to keep her in dance and her life more stable. As the book goes on, I felt like we heard from the mother’s POV more (but I can’t remember for sure).
This is my favorite Zibby Books release so far.
“…secret brilliant artists walk among us daily.” Author’s note
Sequence is about …”bursting free.” Ch 30
I enjoyed the audiobook from Libro.fm. Thank you for providing copies to librarians.
“She thought that being a neighbor meant seeing people regularly, but not as they are really are… to know a neighbor meant to view only a little piece of someone’s life, usually the same piece over and over.” Ch 22
“… she would replay what she thought she saw earlier that morning, reframing it in different ways. That was the problem with memory, the process of focusing on one thing necessarily replaced the exclusion of something else. Sometimes the something else was the most important part.” Chapter 14
“What kind of mother envied her own daughter’s joy?” Ch 4
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent