Reviews

Sugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

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kdowli01's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

totesintobooks's review against another edition

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3.0

In my attempt to diversify my reads, this Singlit book was one that had allowed me to learn of racism, classism and abuse. It’s a page turner for sure but the large bulk of the narrative is to explain the culture in Singapore, painting a detailed description of the setting which could be used to focus on the storyline instead. I got a glimpse of the Sikh community and their beliefs. On top of that, Pin’s mother’s cooking will make you salivate everytime you read of them. I like the book but the ending fell flat for me. Perhaps because it felt predictable. Children look up to adults as bearers shedding light to their beliefs so whatever actions we do would affect their faith and how they view their religion. I tremendously felt connected to each of Pin’s family members and particularly liked her father! 3/5 ⭐️ because I completed it hoping I had gotten more from the book.

alinurursahar's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

itsmiwaaa's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

tiltedpages's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"It is important to forgive others for their mistakes because we too yearns for forgiveness."

"Everybody wants to prove they are right all along, even if the whole world says they're not."

Ten year-old Pin is all confused. She couldn't figure out the imbalance between her ma and grandma. Her love towards her ma seems obstinate. She couldn't resist bombarding her dad with impulsive yet serious questions.
She can't get along with her racist friends and annoying teachers. She couldn't understand the point in following the restrictions imposed by her religion.She is playing hide and seek with God as she is getting more and more anxious each passing day at home and school.

It's the story of a girl and her mother born and brought up in a middle class household who struggles to get along easily with life. The brilliance of the narrative lies in it's ability to catch up with every nuances of such a family in it's little to complicated details. It felt like a revisit to my own childhood living with parents and the innocence in thinking what mattered the most is their happiness and well-being.

Balli Kaur Jaswal's 'Sugarbread' is an outstanding piece of literature that meticulously squeezes the essence of racism, sexism, misogyny and religious supremacy cemented to the foundation of a society. It is hard to believe how cultural and religious mismatches swallow the aspect of humanity and compassion among people. We all are raised in a manner in which sticking to a specific set of values and traditions are considered paramount that further imposes stringent rules in many aspects of our life. Did you ever think of questioning this trend? How many of us can break this chain abruptly? How many times we questioned the necessity of doing things in an expected way? Did you ever get a rational, legitimate or precise answer to this question? Reading this book helped me realize a lot about it.

c3rem0nials's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

thank u balli for further reinforcing my hatred for organised religion. i knew this would hurt me but this seared so deeply. i really appreciate that nana-ji wasn't given the beatrice horseman treatment - even with the blatant display of cultural misogyny and religion it was refreshing to me that nana-ji was just... an abuser. jini, a first gen immigrant who really and truly tried to break the cycle. god this book hurt so much.