A review by savvylit
Burntcoat, by Sarah Hall
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Imagine that COVID-19 was even more lethal. That's what the virus, aka novavirus or AG3, that's sweeping the world of Burntcoat is like. Hall wrote this book at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020 - and it shows. Hall makes numerous eerie and unsettling parallels to our own pandemic. I honestly found it difficult as a reader to reckon with a phenomenon that is still so current.
There are two primary threads in this story. The first thread follows Edith's experience with her lover Halit during the novavirus pandemic. The second is Edith's reflections on growing up with her mother, a stroke survivor. Ultimately, Burntcoat weaves a tale that is somehow both bleak and beautiful. In writing this novel, Sarah Hall has written a lyrical and humane take on the full spectrum of mortality.
Though I personally found this novel to be a little too on-the-nose, I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Hall's work. Her beautiful prose has enchanted me and I'd love to experience more of it.
There are two primary threads in this story. The first thread follows Edith's experience with her lover Halit during the novavirus pandemic. The second is Edith's reflections on growing up with her mother, a stroke survivor. Ultimately, Burntcoat weaves a tale that is somehow both bleak and beautiful. In writing this novel, Sarah Hall has written a lyrical and humane take on the full spectrum of mortality.
Though I personally found this novel to be a little too on-the-nose, I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Hall's work. Her beautiful prose has enchanted me and I'd love to experience more of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent