Girls Burn Brighter

by Shobha Rao

A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, about a once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again.
When Poornima first meets Savitha, she feels something she thought she lost for good when her mother died: hope. Poornima's father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Savitha is even more impoverished than Poornima, but she is full of passion and energy. She shows Poornima how to find beauty in a bolt of indigo cloth, a bowl of yogurt rice and bananas, the warmth of friendship. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to lock down for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls’ perspectives as they face relentless obstacles, Girls Burn Brighter introduces two heroines who never lose the hope that burns within them.

In breathtaking prose, Shobha Rao tackles the most urgent issues facing women today: domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. At once a propulsive page-turner and a heart-wrenching meditation on friendship, Rao's debut novel is a literary tour de force.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, India, Feminism, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Shobha Rao moved to the United States from India at the age of seven. She is the author of the short story collection, AN UNRESTORED WOMAN, and the novels, GIRLS BURN BRIGHTER and INDIAN COUNTRY. Rao is the winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction and was a Grace Paley Teaching Fellow at The New School. Her story “Kavitha and Mustafa” was chosen by T.C. Boyle for inclusion in Best American Short Stories. GIRLS BURN BRIGHTER was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the California Book Award and the Goodreads Choice Awards. She lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What is love if not a hunger?”

Finishing this book was so bittersweet. I both love and hate the ending.

Girls Burn Brighter is a book about two young lives - that of Poornima and Savitha - and it takes us through a lot of tragic events. That being said, I didn't find it emotionally-manipulative. The author's storytelling is definitely evocative, but it is straightforward enough that the horrific events don't feel gratuitous, and the two women at the centre of the story are what burn brightest, not the things that happen to them.

Poornima and Savitha grow up in the poor weaver village of Indravalli, India. Friendship grows between the two girls as they bond over sari looms and yogurt rice mixed with bananas. Rao captures this simple, beautiful friendship between two poor girls so well; it is hard to imagine them apart. But then a horrible crime does tear them apart. Savitha disappears from the village and Poornima is destined to spend many years searching for her friend.

Through heartbreak and illness, across years and continents, she never gives up.

A lot happens throughout this novel. The young women are forced into arranged marriages and prostitution. Many men try to use them for their own gain and many also succeed. But behind all this is the tale of female friendship and it's enduring power. Behind everything else, the plot is driven by one young woman's desperate need to find her friend. I needed to know what happened. I needed Poornima to find Savitha.

I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that the ending is almost disappointing. I think, for some, it will be. And yet, it also seems perfect. I finished the last page unsure whether to smile or cry (I did a bit of both).

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[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought I was going to love Girls Burn Brighter. The novel starts out with a short prologue about an old woman being interviewed by a journalist about her garden of trees. In only two pages, it was lovely, touching, and hard-hitting, everything that I hoped the rest of the book was going to be.

The story then begins with two girls, Poornima and Savitha, who become fast friends in their adolescence, who work together for Poornima's father, weaving saris. Tragic circumstances soon pull them apart, and they spend the rest of the book searching for one another.

This book is brutal. That in itself is not something that turns me off. I mean, you know me - the darker the better is pretty much my unofficial motto. What began to grate on me was how gratuitous and pointless so much of this brutality was. Shobha Rao makes her point early on. Girls - particularly in India - are given an absolutely terrible lot in life. This book is a celebration of that female-specific resilience, and that's what attracted me to this book to begin with. But there is just no end to the suffering Poornima and Savitha go through, for absolutely no narrative reason. It's hard to talk about this without giving specific examples, but basically, it started to feel like torture porn after a while.

Keep in mind that one of my favorite books of all time is A Little Life - if you look at the negative reviews of that, of which there are many, 'torture porn' is a phrase that you will see crop up quite a bit. But I absolutely object to that, because not only does the heightened pathos of that narrative fit the quasi-surrealist tone of the novel, but Hanya Yanagihara has something to say about the extreme suffering and trauma that those characters go through. In contrast, I wouldn't say that Shobha Rao has nothing to say - just that she says it, very early on, and then doesn't add anything else. This isn't helped by the fact that the book also begins to take on a very monotonous, telling-instead-of-showing tone. "This happened to Savitha. Then this happened. Then Savitha did this. Then she went here. Then she went there. Then this happened." That was pretty much the entire second half of this book. It's just like, at a certain point, we get it.

This review is turning out a lot more negative than I had intended. I was actually planning on giving this three stars at first. It's readable, educational about Indian culture, and I genuinely cared about Poornima and Savitha. But the amount of suffering these characters went through was so excessive it eventually deadened my emotional reaction, which was obviously the opposite effect from what the author had intended. I think this book has important things to say - I just wish it had undergone more rigorous editing, and adhered to the tried and true adage less is more.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Shobha Rao for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the fiery stars to Girls Burn Brighter! 🔥 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Though desperately difficult to wrap my head around the tragic events that happened, this was a book I savored. I was emotionally invested and was lost in it completely. This is why I read.

After finishing Girls Burn Brighter, I immediately wished I could have the experience of reading it all over again. I don’t want to sugarcoat things either. What happens to Poornima and Savitha over the course of their young lives is nothing short of dark, haunting, devastating, and heartbreaking.

But at the heart of this story is the purest friendship between two girls joined by their craft of spinning cotton and growing up in a quiet village in India. Poornima and Savitha face many difficult times as their lives tumble apart: arranged marriages, dowries, suspicious in-laws, the horrors of human trafficking, and domestic abuse.

The writing is stunning and filled with descriptions of the vivid landscapes contrasting with the heart-rending events these friends were subjected to - only because they were girls. The symbolism of fire: strength, vitality, resilience; Poornima and Savitha are filled with fire, and together, as friends, they do burn brighter. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget them.

Thank you to debut author, Shobha Rao, I’m eagerly awaiting your next work, as well as Flatiron Books and Netgalley, for the copy.

[len ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's the way it is: If two people want to be together, they'll find a way. They'll forge a way.

Literary fiction is not the common genre I go for. It has been, though, a genre I have grown quite interested in because it is very different from contemporary or the common kind of books I read. I thought of reading something that makes you realize and analyze something so important, like this.

Girls Burn Brighter introduces us to the difficulties two young girls need to face to find their hope, to settle in; the obstacles of life; the cruelty and injustice; the difficult journey of a girl.

Savitha and Poornima are two girls who live in Indravalli, India. While Poornima loses her mother, Savitha has to take care of her family along with her siblings in order to be quite stable. Poornima's father, who has always been cruel and wicked, silently, with Poornima, hires Savitha to help him work which is how Poornima and Savitha form a strong and beautiful friendship which then leads to Poornima regaining her hope in faith in life. They have such different lives but their friendship grows in a developing way with yogurt rice, bananas, indigo cloth, and the realization that life is beautiful. As the two girls try their best to always stick together, Poornima is being arranged for a forced marriage arranged by her father without giving her permission to say a word about it of complaint or rejection. Savitha, on the other hand, is taken away from one night to day without anyone noticing, leaving the city, leaving Poornima alone. We are then taken two 2 different journeys, the journey of Savitha finding herself in a different town and the journey of Poornima looking for her friend.

Trigger/content warnings for sexual violence, domestic violence and human trafficking which are some of the big themes portrayed in the book. I hadn't read that part of the description before, so I was surprised when those scenes came up. It was pretty hard for me to read those parts because I hadn't done so before. The book is tragic, its beautiful, its powerful, and it is sad. It makes you open your eyes and see things; makes you realize things like these are still happening in society today.

“What is love if not a hunger?”

When I first started this, I was completely hooked in. One of the problems I was encountering was the writing. Rao does a fantastic job keeping you hooked, but the problem was the writing itself; the way Rao wrote what characters said and thought always kept confusing me. That was really the only problem I had (until the end) and, luckily, not something that completely bothered me. I kept trying to figure out if it was a quote from someone or just a thought, but I kept ignoring the thought of it distracting me.

Sexual violence, such as rape, abuse, and assault, are big topics on this one along with domestic abuse. You can really cringe when reading the parts of the brutal acts because of how Rao describes it, how she writes it. I kept feeling bad for the characters and couldn't imagine what kind of hard life it must be for Savitha and Poornima as two Indians were mistreated for being girls, were taken as property, as slaves, as toys, as something to use. I felt grief for them and wished I could just take them away from the horrible life they were living.

There was nothing I didn't like about Savitha and Poornima. I thought they were strong female characters and I think the author wrote a great job about feminism on this one. There are no female rights and no woman is treated right and just, but Poornima and Savitha really did not let that stop them. When Savitha and Poornima are separated, Poornima does not give up on looking for her friend. She also does not give up on her usage as a woman. She's forced to marry a man she had never met, a man she was grossed out when she saw his problem. He was also a wicked man who treated her like garbage along with his mother, Poornima's mother in law. Everyone treated Poornima like garbage and she did not give up on her faith and hope of life and finding her friend. I think Rao managed to capture my attention, especially from her perspective. The way she handled the friendship between the two was beautiful to read, although, yes, tragic.

I said there was nothing I didn't like about the main characters, but I guess I should clarify. I loved everything about the two together. The two were inseparable, together they were loyal, fierce, strong, unafraid, but separated, they were weaker. One thing that bothered me about Savitha was that she was not like Poornima. She did not end up going on a journey looking for her friend, her friend who was like another soul for her. I mean, the two slept together in the same bed, told each other stories, shared each other's experiences with different kinds of foods the other hadn't tried. They taught each other how to be strong and how to get along with life without letting men get to you. Savitha was also a heartbreaking character to read about and follow along on her journey, but I felt like she gave up on Poornima and focused on herself and the people she had met.

For it was here, under this white light and in this horrible stench, that Savitha realized how lost she was. How mislaid. How all the beacons of the world, standing all in a row, couldn't save her.

I’ll say this: I am not a feminist. I do believe women should have equal rights and such, but I would not call myself a feminist. I have no experience with the life of a feminism or the world of feminism and women's rights. With that being said, though, I do think Shobha Rao managed to engross me into the topic. I think the whole idea of girl friendship and girl power can be so beautiful and strong together when it is written and portrayed correctly. I enjoyed the concept of it and enjoyed how the beginning of the book was about that. The book though, is not all about feminism, but the elements are always there. The thoughts of Poornima and Savitha wishing to be treated equally hurts to read because they themselves no they’re treated miserably and unequally. They couldn’t do some things they wanted to.

Like previously stated, the book isn’t all about feminism. It’s about friendship and beautiful connections girls find in each other. The feminist elements are the kinds when they don’t let go of each other, when they help each other, when they’re together and love each other, when they defend each other and embrace each other.

The theme didn't slack off, not until after, but I think its still important to realize that sometimes, not everything is about love between a person and another person. Sometimes, in life, you need something less than that or much more than that. Rao can convince you to think that sometimes, life is about finding hope in someone else. Poornima found hope in Savitha, thought of her life like her own, thought of her like the person she couldn't let go of. It hurt to see them separated after what happened the night before.

The strong topics in this book can really get to you. Domestic violence (Poornima is forced to marry and her husband is an abusive partner), sexual violence (such as rape and general abuse), human trafficking, immigration, poverty, conflict, they're all topics that sometimes we need to read about in order to open our eyes and look out to the world and see that most of these are issues going on around the world and have been going around. Sometimes instead of romance, you need friendship. Sometimes instead of finding hope, you lose it. Sometimes instead of loving life, you hate it.
Sometimes you think selling your body or a piece of you is the only way to enter life happily.

The ending is what really threw me off. This was gonna be a solid 5 stars (no joke) even with the writing problem I encountered throughout the whole book and the problem I found with Savitha towards the middle, but the ending made it go downhill. It was not beautiful, it was actually a cliffhanger! One thing I hate about books and authors is how they end up finishing a standalone book with a cliffhanger. I really want to know what happens next but the only way to find out would be to ask the author herself or really, forget about the ending. I know literary fiction is more about paying more attention to what the book is trying to offer, but when you're given an ending like this one, you can't help but wonder what exactly is the ending!

Flames, flames all around you, licking at your just-born breasts, your just-bled body. And infernos. Infernos as wide as the world. Waiting to impoverish you, make you ash, and even the wind, even the wind. Even the wind, my dear, she thought, watching you burn, willing it, passing over you, and through you. Scattering you, because you are a girl, and because you are ash.

The book is definitely something worth reading. It can take you through the hardships of being an Indian girl living in poverty and domestic violence. You can't feel anything for the characters except madness or empathy. You feel pity, sympathy, compassion, grief, sorrow, really, any emotion, and they're either happy or sad emotions and feelings.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor and poorer....
Poornima - named after the moon -
Savitha - named after the sun -
are two of the most resilient - brave - and beautiful young girls - you’ll meet in any novel you’ll read. These girls meet in the village where they were born: in India.
We learn about their families - and their families expectations of them.
None of the parents talked shared about the ‘heartbeat-of-life’: the incredible richness - joys - intimacy - and deep satisfaction that friendship is to their souls. THAT.....the girls discovered on their own - with each other. And ‘this’ is what gives them strength among horrific adversities. And ....in my opinion ‘their’ friendship isn’t completely pure- yet serves a vital purpose: their connection was rooted in desperation......which I don’t fault.

When people say ....”this is not light reading”.... all they have to do is point to this book! There is no comic-relief! Our heart becomes dark fast.
Each of the two protagonists - Poornima and Savitha encounter abominable hardship, pain, suffering, and injustice. Each endure devastating physical and psychological trauma. I don’t even want to compare which girls story was worse. I could - but that would make me rather ugly! SUFFERING & PAIN .....is SUFFERING & PAIN!

The brutality of childhood like these girls experienced - is unimaginable- difficult to read - overwhelmingly tragic. It’s a book that would benefit being read with a group - examine & discuss.

Centuries of female oppression - human trafficking- forced marriages - rape - slavery - degradation - abuse - sexism....still goes on - to some degree today. It’s sure amazing to witness the relentless torture & how these young women hold onto their inner dignity and spirit.

The author Shobha Rao wrote a powerful debut. I was so invested in the characters - but then started to worry about the ending. I ‘did’ have mixed feelings about the ending.....
however this book opens your eyes wide - and keeps them open through pages and pages of hot burning fires of heaviness.

4.5

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Poornima and Savitha are two teenage girls living in various degrees of poverty. When Savitha is hired to help with the family livlihood of making saris, they become close friends. So much so that they seek each other out at every turn. A cruel act will send Savitha on the run, and shortly after Poornima will run from a horrible situation she finds herself in, now turning her attention to reuniting with her friend.

The story takes us from India to the United States, chapters alternate between the girls as they tell their story. Will take us from arranged marriages, human trafficking, and the plight of those used for cheap labor in the United States. Not an easy book to read, so many horrific things happen to these girls, alone in the world without a protector. I had to keep putting the book down, turning to something else, the abuse almost relentless at times. I felt so for these young women.

The title is to show that despite what these girls go through they still retain an inner light, with thoughts of their friendship to sustain them. Regardless what they go through, these are the thoughts that keep them going, the hope of seeing each other again. So, it is also a novel of a very special frirndship. That is what also kept me reading. Would they find each other again?

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devastating debut novel. In Girls Burn Brighter, Shobha Rao does an excellent job portraying the violence against women that occurs both in India and the United States. There are disturbing incidents of domestic and sexual violence throughout this book, though Rao does not sensationalize the violence as much as show us the cruel reality that can befall girls in India who grow up in impoverished circumstances. The writing struck me as a bit formal at first, but by the 100-page mark I was immersed in the story and invested in knowing what happened next. The powerful bond between the two female protagonists in Girls Burn Brighter glows just as much as the suffering they experience at the hands of a patriarchal, classist, and colorist society. This book may be filled with difficult content though it’s so important in its message and themes.

[lady h · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling to decide just how I feel about this book. So, first off, if you're going in completely clueless like me (why do I not read book summaries properly), massive content warning for rape. This book deals with human trafficking, so you can imagine the content here. This is kind of why I was so unsure of what I thought when I finished it, but that's no fault of the book itself - I just don't really like reading books about things like rape and human trafficking. Which isn't to say that the scenes in this book were overly graphic or exploitative, but there were still some instances where I felt like it was a bit too much, like all this trauma was just being piled on and on with no real purpose (there were definitely some scenes I, and the narrative, could have done without). I expected something totally different of this book, but I don't like to give a book a low rating just because it didn't meet my own expectations, especially when the book is objectively well-written.

That's the second thing I want to talk about: the prose. I thought this was a really beautifully-written, thoughtful book. The narration is kind of omniscient, which I don't always like, but here it meshed well with the lush, lyrical prose. The prose and some of the narrative choices give this book a kind of mythic quality; indeed, there are so many coincidences occurring it seems one would have to suspend disbelief to be able to enjoy this book.

At its heart, it is a story of friendship between two women, Savitha and Poornima. Though they spend much of the book apart after being separated, Poornima spends literal years structuring her life in ways that will lead her to find Savitha. This is also a book about misogyny's ugly depths. Most of us know men are demons, but this book elucidates that truth unflinchingly. Is there a single male character in this book who isn't absolute trash? Perhaps Savitha's father had redeeming qualities in his youth, but otherwise all the men are pretty horrific, and even some of the women have become warped by internalized misogyny.

But I liked how the misogyny was presented through a distinct cultural lens. Though we all live in a patriarchal world, misogyny takes different forms depending on where it is manifesting. American misogyny is going to look very different from Indian misogyny. For example, dowry is a big issue in this book. Dowry is the payment a bride's family is expected to provide to the bridegroom and his family upon marriage, seemingly for the upkeep the new bride will require. As you can imagine, the great financial strain this puts on bride's family's means that the impoverished will begin resenting their daughters. In one harrowing incident in this book, Poornima's father recounts a anecdote when he almost let Poornima drown as a child because he sees daughters as expendable and expensive.

My main issue with this book, narratively speaking? That goddamn ending. There's no payoff. Literally the entire book has been building to a very particular climax and then, right when you're expecting the payoff, that moment of climax and resolution, the book simply ends abruptly. I literally double-checked the ARC I had to make sure I wasn't skipping pages or missing an epilogue, because the ending was so abrupt! Perhaps this is just a pet peeve of mine as a reader, but I like closure, which this book desperately needed. Otherwise, with the way it is, it just feels incomplete.

[Monica Kim | Musings of Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

We girls. Afraid of the wrong things, at the wrong times. Afraid of a burned face, when outside, outside waiting for you are fires you cannot imagine. Men, holding matches up to your gasoline eyes. Flames, flames all around you, licking at your just-born breasts, your just-bled body. And infernos. Infernos as wide as the world. Waiting to impoverish you, make you ash, and even the wind, even the wind. Even the wind, my dear, she thought, watching you burn, willing it, passing over you, and through you. Scattering you, because you are a girl, and because you are ash. — Shobha Rao, Girls Burn Brighter
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Shobha Rao’s “Girls Burn Brighter” should come with a warning, besides what’s summed up in the synopsis, it’s a very difficult one to digest. One of the most difficult books I’ve ever read. What these two girls go through are unfathomable and so frightening. It may be a fiction, but we know that these occurrences are actually happening around the world, it’s absolutely heartbreaking. This novel is almost perfect, almost, but the last third of it kind of ruined from being a five-star for me. Before I go on about the book, I want to mention couple things. I am grateful for Rao for writing such an incredible novel, as difficult it maybe, this novel touches on many urgent issues facing women today — domestic abuse, rape, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. And also, I read variety of novels to fully experience wide spectrum of human endeavors, across different continents, and it delivered. This novel made me realize that I’m a human and was able to feel for these girls. It’s novels like this that makes me realize importance of reading, especially reading novels by POC authors.
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I don’t want to dwell too much on what exactly happens in the novel, it’s too difficult to articulate & write. In this dark, devastating, and heart-wrenching novel, alternating between two village girls Poornima & Savitha, two main characters of the novel in India, forges an unexpected friendship. Savitha works for Poornima’s dad, and he crosses an unthinkable boundary; then next day, she is missing. Poornima is off to marry a guy from a different village, whom she’s never met, and the in-laws make her life one living hell. And after couple of years, Poornima runs way to find Savitha. And during that time period, we learn about all the horrendous things Savitha goes through and was sold off to America. Determined to find Savitha, Poornima herself goes through many horrendous things, also eventually ending up in America after finding out that Savitha is there. There is lot happening in this novel, slow and suspenseful, these two girls don’t give up on the hope that burns within them and hope that they’ll find each one day. I’m so glad that they had each other, no matter the distance, it gave them the courage & hope to carry in their difficult lives.
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It is a dark, difficult read, it is unbearably painful. Almost perfect, it started out really strong, but started to fall apart in the last third part of the book and ending didn’t live up to its strong beginning. But I am so grateful for this reading experience and to be living in America. I know our country have its own painful issues we need to address; but in many aspects, we have a choice & option, even though the government act like we don’t, UGH! But we can have our voices heard, we can fight, we can march, and we can vote! It is so hard to fathom what thousands & millions of girls endure in other parts of the world. I hope that we continue to fight for equality, not just for the people in America, but for those around the country! This novel isn’t going to be everyone, especially the faint-hearted, but I hope that you’ll give a chance to hear the voices from girls that otherwise might not have if it wasn’t written for them.
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What really broke my heart is that these girls accepted their fates & took responsibilities for the their futures. They don’t consider themselves as victims & don’t point fingers at others. Even during the darkest times at the darkest corners of the world, they kept fighting & not giving up on hopes. Smart & courageous, just imagine all the possibilities of what they could become if they were born into a different family, culture, or country and just given the opportunities to pursue their dreams & reach their full potentials! Heartbreaking...

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What. A. Novel! I did not want to put this book down but nor did I want it to end. I downloaded another book to read with this, to make it last longer, and yet I couldn't read the other. I HAD to keep reading Girls Burn Brighter.

It is the story of two young women from a small village in India. Savitha is from an extremely poor family and comes to work for Poornima's father. The two develop a deep and stirring friendship. When Savitha is raped, she runs off rather than be forced to marry her rapist. Poornima is heart-broken and enters into a loveless and abusive marriage. Both women suffer unspeakable pain but through it all, their memories of each other sustain them.

Poornima eventually goes in search of Savitha, entering into the sordid underworld of prostitution and human trafficking. This book is heart-wrenching, the women suffering and enduring such horrific crimes against them. And yet it is so beautifully written, so powerful. The friendship and love between Savitha and Poornima burns bright, guiding them through their darkest times, giving them the strength and courage to go on.

Shobha Rao is simply brilliant. If she writes another book as good as this one, she will join the list of my favourite authors. This is a story that will no doubt stay with me for a long time and I highly recommend this book.

[Crumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A DYNAMO!

Fierce, Poetic, & Courageous.

A missile to my heart. That is how I felt after I finished this book. I was left with a sense of longing. I missed the characters. They burrowed their way into the depths of my soul. This novel was certainly powerful and provided a deep exploration on the human trafficking market. It also investigated prostitution and the selling of bodies in its worst sense. This story starts in South India and extends to the United States. It was quite a journey and one that I would take again and again.

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex

This book broke my heart into crumbs and I'm still sweeping pieces of it off the ground. Poornima and Savitha find ways to hold onto each other in a country that considers their existence a burden.They are both born poor and given few opportunities. In India a girls humanity is measured by her utility. Despite this Poornima and Savitha build their friendship on trust and awe. Their love for each other empowers them to keep going, even when they are physically distant and mentally fleeting. Passages of this book felt like kicks in the rib. But I read through all of the heartache eagerly because of the gorgeous writing and unforgettable characters.

"But what about love?"
"What is love, Poori?" Savitha said. What is love if not a hunger?

Though the alternating perspectives both women gave me intimate access into their hearts, this kind of character development is magic. The women in this book experience every kind of cruel and harsh  abuse. Their experiences aren't deserved but it's important that readers understand that this happens all the time. Through prisms of poverty I was led into desperate lives, that so many of us forget exist. This book challenges us to look at what women are able to endure and find the beauty in their journey.

"What it wanted was to reveal to me that there is no end to guilt, no end to the prices we pay, that we are the forest, and our conscience, our hell, is the forest floor."

I finished this book in emotional ruin. I learned about India, poverty and friendship in a way that will stay with me for a long time. Savitha and Poornima burn bright with the kind of love and hope that I want to carry in myself. This is a bleak book but the harshness allowed the reader to cut through any self delusion. The only reason this isn't a five star book for me is because everything wasn't quite pulled together in the end,  the way I would have preferred. Nonetheless I am excited to read more from this author and be inspired by what other stories she has to share.

"What fools we all are. We girls. Afraid of the wrong things, at the wrong times."

Recommended for Readers:
-who want to be immersed in another culture
-enjoy empowering stories about women
-enjoy heart wrenching contemporaries

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book from The Readers, who are considering it for their summer read. I missed it when it came out in March.

I loved this story about two female friends from the cloth-eaving area of India, who are separated and look for each other. The author made me really invested in the characters and I read it in one day.

[AnisaAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also read my reviews on WP: https://anisabookreviews.wordpress.co...

Girls Burn Brighter is a compelling tale of love, friendship, and self-exploration. But mostly survival. It is the heart-wrenching story of being a girl in India and the possibilities beyond a fate.

Her name, Poornima is a constant reminder of what she is not. She is not a source of income, an economic burden to her family. She is not a boy. At sixteen, with the loss of her mother, Poornima is relegated to domestic servitude to care about her four other siblings and father. She is destined to be married off at sixteen. But she yearns always to find a more significant meaning of life, beyond her gender. That is when she meets her. "She'd never known a hand could do that; contain so much purpose."

Savitha, named after the eclipse carries a persistent fierce light in her spirit. The lack of food in the pots has forced this teenager to find work for her family. He father is a drunk and begs at the temple for food and money. Savitha has sat at a loom before; she knows how to weave threads, and this is where the start of a bright friendship begins.

Poornima and her father have two looms, a place where saris and income for family life take place. Since her mother's death, the loom sits bare, until one-day Savitha appears. There is something different about Savitha. Is it her conviction? Or her purpose?

Two more different teenagers will forge an unbreakable bond, even when life casts them unthinkable sorrow.

The setting is Indravalli, near Andhra Pradesh in India. Rao takes us on a journey of lush mountains graced with sacred temples. An experience rich in Hindu traditions such as burning lights on holy mountains, ceremonial garlands of marigolds, and sagely sadhus performing pujas. As these images are stunning, there is another side to India that is less romantic. Poverty, huts clung together by cow dung, landscaped by old scraps of food, hands tiring from begging, caste systems, and dark history of exploitation. Such poverty lines the vibrant greens of rice fields and mountains.

Beautifully written novel. Analogies are eloquently described providing rich prose. Poornima and Savith are skillfully developed characters with their personalities unfolding with grace. Poornima's mother, a recent memory is so vividly, and you can feel her presence, her love, her embrace. And you can see also taste the pain and humiliation that only comes by being born female in a country that discards women with a simple push.

Girls Burn Brighter book is my first reading experience with the author Shobha Rao. My travels to South India has undoubtedly played a role in my enjoyment of the story and setting, but it is not essential. I am excited to discover more of Rao's writing.

Thank you, Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Janelle Janson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Flatiron Books for providing my free copy of GIRLS BURN BRIGHTER by Shobha Roa - all opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that this book will not make you feel good. It is heartrending with horrific scenes that will make you cringe. BUT it’s not meant to make you feel good, instead it paints a picture of the author’s very unique perspective. And what I love about this book is the strength of the two strong female protagonists that were born into a society that sees them more like property than human beings. It’s not beautiful or easy; it’s painful, raw, oppressive, and hopeless. However, it’s brilliantly told, beautifully written and it cuts right to the core.

This is a story of two young girls, Poornima and Stavitha, living in an impoverished village in India. Stavitha is hired by Poornima’s father for work, which is how they first meet. They have an instant bond and friendship that helps them deal with the darkness they have to endure. One night, a very traumatic event happens to Stavitha which drives her away. This is where the book breaks off and is told in alternating perspectives, detailing the struggles of both very strong women who go through unimaginable things. This story and these names will forever be engraved in my mind, but I’m okay with that because it’s the very least I can do.

GIRLS BURN BRIGHTER has vivid descriptions with great character development, and it reads at a quick pace. Of course I was repulsed and outraged by the deplorable, appalling acts of violence, however I value the author’s transparency about the girls’ journey. Rao does an exquisite job bringing said issues to the forefront and creates much needed, thought-provoking discussion. Even though the story is overwhelming and difficult to read, I was able to appreciate learning about the ordeal the girls experienced and their culture. Although the ending left me with more questions than answers, I feel it’s appropriate because it leaves me with hope. At least, that’s what I choose to believe.

My rating is 4.5 / 5 stars!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is brutal. The second thing you need to know is that I loved it.

Girls Burn Brighter tells the story of Poornima and Savitha who had the misfortune of being born poor and female in Indravalli, India. Even though their lives are hard, Poornima and Savitha find joy in each other. They are two sides of the same coin. The sun and the moon. Best friends. But after one horrible night, everything changes and the girls are ripped apart. Unable to let go of her best friend, Poornima’s journey to find Savitha spans years and continents.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot, because I think experiencing it for yourself is essential. However, I will say that I was filled with a heavy dread for almost all 307 pages of my Advanced Reader Copy (Thanks Flatiron for hosting a sweet giveaway!!) Girls Burn Brighter is unrelenting. It does not let up, it does not play pretty. Instead, it lays the ugliness of the world bare. This is not a fun or comfortable read. It is emotionally exhausting, but it is also powerful and beautiful. If you have read Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, you will recognize the experience.

On it’s face, Girls Burn Brighter is a story about the strength and beauty of female friendship. But it is also a story about how deeply dangerous it is to be born a woman. It is a story about a world that wants to swallow you piece by piece and what you must sacrifice in order to survive.

Girls Burn Brighter would be an amazing choice for a book club, especially a feminist book club. I underlined something on almost every page. There is so much to unpack and discuss. I highly recommend this book, but make sure you are mentally prepared for an emotional roller coaster.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao in a Goodreads give away in exchange for an honest review. In the book, Girls Burn Brighter, the reader is transported to India where two young, poor girls Poornima and Savitha cross paths and form a bond that is tested but becomes stronger as the years continued. They grew up in a culture where girls were looked down upon as inferior to men. Poornima lost her mother when she was quite young. She now existed to serve her father's demands, take care of her siblings and wait until a suitable match was made for her and her father could marry her off in an arranged marriage and end his responsibility to her. This was the way..she never questioned it. Then Savitha began working for her father. Savitha saw life differently from Poornima. Savitha was an independent minded girl and decided she had choices. The two girls became the best of friends and truly loved one another. Then because of a horrific incident Savitha was forced to leave her family, village and trusted friend. She was left with no other choice but to run away. Shortly after, Poornima was married off. She also experienced unimaginable acts of cruelty and she also ran away to escape her arranged marriage. Poornima, determined to find Savitha traveled into India's underworld and eventually to Seattle.

This was a very moving book. My heart broke for these two girls and all that they had to endure. I highly recommend this book.

[Zaynab · Rating 4 out of 5]

“That's the way it is: If two people want to be together, they'll find a way. They'll forge a way.”

I almost did not want to read this book. I did not want to read more about oppressed women. It angers me how brutes (I refuse to use the term 'Man') treat them as nothing more than worthless chattel to use and dispose off unceremoniously. Still in these civilized times, it's mind boggling when we realize that massive numbers of the fairer sex irrespective of the country they reside in, still have no say over matters regarding their own lives. Shocking?! No longer.

Rao brings us an agonizing tale of two kindred spirits who came together by their similar circumstance and who were tragically pulled apart by a barbaric situation beyond their control. It's a brave and painful read. Hope exists in the face of the most harrowing events in our heroines' dismal lives and yet they cling stubbornly to it never once losing their brightness. Incandescent debut!

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls Burn Brighter ripped my heart out, and still won’t let go. Shobha Rao’s words invaded my brain in this beautifully written story about friendship and love, and man’s inhumanity.

Poornima and Savitha are teenagers who meet in their native India. Poormina is poor but when she meets Savitha, she learns that some are even more impoverished than her. Poornima’s father needs someone to help with his business of spinning cotton to make saris and Savitha is a natural. Poormina’s father allows Savitha to eat a meal at the home when she is working, and Poormina begins to feed Savitha. She feeds her in the literal sense, but more importantly, the two teenaged girls feed each other emotionally and spiritually. Neither of the girls has ever had a friend and they grow to love each other. A hideous act of violence separates the girls and they are forced go their separate ways. Poormina is married off to a despicable man with a family that can only be described as evil. She is too dark skinned and too poor to be wed to anyone other than a man with an “idiosyncrasy.” Savitha is tricked into a situation that leads her to sex and labor trafficking.

The attitude toward women sickens, though not surprising given the exploration of the dowry system, domestic violence and trafficking. After their separation, Poormina and Savitha begin to lose their “light.” Attempting to cope with their unending trauma, the young women cling to the memories of each. But the memories are never enough. Savitha realizes that “all she’d ever be in the eyes of men: a thing to enter, to inhabit for a time, and then to leave.” Again, the writing is dazzling and “burns bright” even when discussing hideous subject matter. Before the two are separated, Savitha tells Poornima allegorical stories that stay with her throughout her journey, sometimes bringing her some small bit of joy, and at others enraging her. Recalling a time when they were together, Poormina thinks “How foolish you were, how stupid you are…to find herself passed like a beedie between the hands of men.”

This book comes with a serious TRIGGER WARNING to readers who have experienced sexual and/or domestic violence or similar trauma. At times, I literally felt nauseous and had to put the book aside. After reading a chapter during lunch, I had difficulty refocusing on my work and wished that I could take a shower. But this is an important book. There’s an ugly part of life out there for so many and this story, while fictional, may make readers recognize signs of trafficking, whether in the nail salon, the office cleaning staff or the maid in the home next door.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fictional story of two young women living in a small village in India, then in the US, who form a powerful friendship. It sustains them and fuels their spirit to survive, even when they are separated by a cruel betrayal and face all forms of oppression. And when one of them decides to finally take control of her life, in a world in which she has no control, she tries to reunite with her friend, no matter how far she must go to do it, both figuratively and literally.

Hardship is nothing new to either young woman, Poornima or Savitha, but what they will encounter in the pages of this book will test them—and the reader—like never before. Poornima is 16 when she meets Savitha who comes to work for Poornima’s father, sewing saris, after Poornima’s mother has recently died. Poornima is level-headed, but sometimes outspoken and rebellious, as well as dark-skinned, making her less desirable as a potential bride. Plus her unkind father hasn’t enough for a large dowry to make an ideal match for her, so she becomes a burden to him. Savitha is 17 and forthright, and has no chance at marriage since her family has no money at all for her dowry. But she’s ambitious about making money, not for herself, but to support her family and provide for her sisters’ dowries since her kind father is crippled and can no longer work.

Poornima and Savitha slowly bond over their troubles, learning about one another and learning from one another when working as a team, side by side, Poornima spinning the thread that Savitha makes into beautiful saris they could never afford for themselves. In the private world of their friendship, they are important and equals, something they’ve never experienced in any other relationship in a world in which females are valued mainly for working in the household and for reproducing. In that male dominated society, what goes on inside their heads is less important than what what comes out of their mouths, as little words as possible preferred. So they find a refuge in one another, sharing their thoughts and dreams, and vow to always be together, no matter what life holds in store for them in the future. They never counted on what was to come, though, and the seemingly impossible obstacles they’d have to overcome to fulfill their vow.

This story takes place in the late 1990’s and several years beyond. I’m not sure how representative the conditions were that these characters lived under, either in India or in the US, since the author didn’t clarify anything by including a preface or afterword addressing it, at least not in my ebook copy. So in my mind, what happened to both young women seemed very realistic, but over the top, at times, and I found myself detaching from what was happening, not knowing if the author was going overboard in trying to manipulate sympathy from the reader or if she was accurately reporting on the true extent of the powerlessness of women and how the power within them was the only thing that couldn’t be taken away from them. I only know for certain, it was not an easy book to read, and it became increasingly difficult to get through it, having to face unrelenting oppression and cruelty shown to not one, but two women, over the entire course of this book. The cruelty was both physically and mentally punishing and would have leveled most people. It went from a sad to depressing book, only small acts of kindness, some beautiful writing, and the strength and courage of these young women lifting it up. In a way, it reminded me of a better book that affected me more on an emotional level, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which was also difficult to read, but inspiring.

The best parts of this book were at the beginning when Poornima and Savitha were together, learning strength and compassion from one another when few others in their lives showed any of it to them. It was a book I had hoped would move me, but it became heavy-handed and ultimately left me numb from the repeated indignities and abuse perpetrated on the young women by so many people, mostly men. At the 80% mark, I was more than ready for the book to end. Which brings me to the ending. I didn’t find it as satisfying as I had hoped it would be. The story was like a runner coming to the end of a long race and limping to the finish line, rather than sprinting through it in exhilaration.

Still, I feel this is an important book for the truths it told among whatever might have been exaggerated for the sake of fiction. I have no doubt about the oppression of women under the conditions these characters suffered, and books like this bear witness to it in the hope for change. This would be a good book for book club discussions as long as people are prepared to endure it. Here are some of the passages that kept me reading, ones I found inspiring or thought provoking.

Family—the thing that she and her father and her siblings were bound by—suddenly seemed strange to her. What had collected them like seashells on a beach? And placed them together, on a windowsill?

What is love if not a hunger?

What did it mean to ask forgiveness, she wondered, not knowing the crime, or who committed it. It meant nothing, she realized. Nothing at all. And so she decided in that moment—decided, yes, decided, astonished that she could even do such a thing as decide—that she would never again ask forgiveness for a thing she didn’t do, for crimes she could in no way recall committing. And so she fell asleep smiling, and drifted into a dream.

[Es Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Spoilers ahead*

I am disappointed.
I expected so much more.
It's always hard to write negative reviews about novels that are hyped and loved by many people.
But let's give it a try.

The novel is about two Indian girls, Poornima and Savitha. These girls live in an impoverished environment, but they find strength in each other. When they are together, they forget for a while about their poverty, arranged marriages and difficult lives. Together, these girls burn brighter.
I remember reading a passage in the beginning of the book when Poornima and Savitha were walking home and some guys were bothering them. The author describes how still and undisturbed Savitha looks at these guys and the whole page was so powerful. Together, these friends are powerful. They are dreamers, hopeful. It's banana's flavored rice and making sari's for each other.

Unfortunately, a lot of events happen in this book that reduces that inner fire of these two girls.
Savitha gets raped by the father of Poornima and runs away in the middle of the night when the village decides the punishment of her father is to marry Savitha.
Poornima marries a violent guy who abuses her and ultimately burns her face, neck and arm.
Savitha is kidnapped to a brothel and gets her hand chopped off because of a wish of a buyer but lastly he doesn't want her anymore but she still misses her limp.
And I can continue on and on about what kind of terrible and inhuman things happen to these girls. It's violent, terrifying, it's bloody and uncomfortable.

All these tragic, brutal things kept happening to these girls whom never cross paths again after that faithful night when Savitha leaves and I remained hopeful for a reunion, for an evidence that they still burn the brightest.
I am not trying to neglect the terrible things that happen to girls in India. I believe that this novel, although it is a work of fiction, holds a lot of truth's inside of her as well. I believe in the poverty, the abuse, the discrimination, racism and the way women are treated in these countries and I think it is important to shed a light on these subjects. However, it was almost too much to grasp for me. I was hoping for a story with a lot of truth's but also hope, a reunion of lost friends, of feminism and strength of the female character.
I needed this book to be more than just a tragic tale with a tragic ending. I thought the raping at the beginning of the story was already vehement enough to continue the story with. Or the abuse and burning of Poornima. Even at the end of the novel Savitha is abused by two bypassing American men and I found that utterly awful and heartbreaking.
I hoped the author would choose a different direction with this book. One of redemption and hope. The tragic events were too extreme for me and too often which made it a difficult read.

Girls Burn Brighter is a good debut and a lot of readers will enjoy it, but I was hoping for something different.

[Hayley Stenger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was incredibly difficult to read. The actions taken against the two main characters were horrific. The ending of the books felt completely unsatisfying after reading through the events of the novel.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw enough about Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao before I read it to know this was going to be an emotional and challenging read. I'm not sure if it was Rao's writing or me, but I found myself a little detached from the story and even though it is certainly full of triggers and horrible things, it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. That being said, if you are affected by triggers, I would definitely check those out prior to reading this story. Nothing is told in too much detail, but you know what is happening and it is rough. I was really impressed that this is a debut novel and I have to hand it to Rao for bringing the characters and their traumas to life in such a vivid way.

The audiobook is a great way to go if you enjoy listening to books, and I thought Soneela Nankani was a wonderful narrator. I usually prefer multiple narrators when there is more than one viewpoint, but Nankani stole the show and enhanced the fact that Poornima and Savitha are 2 different characters. The book tells each of their stories by being broken into parts, and I thought this was a very unique and smart way to break up their stories. Each part was either Poornima's or Savitha's viewpoint and they basically alternate this way throughout the book. I am really glad I got the opportunity to read Girls Burn Brighter and I highly recommend it to literary fiction fans, readers who can handle hard themes/triggers, and those who enjoy stories of powerful female friendship.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Jessica *The Lovely Books* · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that moment when a books message finally clicks and you’re just left wondering how you’ll ever be the same after hearing it? Yeah, I’m in that boat right now. I knew Girls Burn Brighter would be a five star read even before I read it. The cover just screams read me and remain forever changed. Read it and see how your eyes become wide open. Here I am, an American woman, reading about how women from other countries get treated so terribly. Not that being a woman in today’s world, in America no less, is better. Women from other countries are treated like second-class citizens, lower than the dirt beneath your feet. It’s disheartening. That’s why as women of the free world, we speak up for those who don’t have a voice.

In Girls Burn Brighter, we follow the lives of two very special girls who turn into women before they're ready. Poornima’s been living her life on autopilot ever since she lost her mother. Then Savitha walks in and changes everything. The two become the best of friends and confidants. One night tragedy strikes Savitha, leaving her broken beyond repair. There’s only one thing for her to do—run. Run away and never look back. Meanwhile, Poornima is going through her own trials. It’s been trouble finding her a suitable husband to marry. None of them want her. Until one comes along that demands a huge dowry and costs Poornima more than just a hefty sum to keep her.

We follow Poornima and Savitha on a separate journeys that are full of blood, sweat, and tears. But they go on. Want to know why? Because they are strong beyond compare. They’ve looked adversity in the face and said, “No! Not today!”. This was a powerful read that features women we need to look up to in order to fight back. We are here and we won’t back down. Last, I want to tell you the message that has stayed with me ever since I let go of the last page. But if I were to tell you, then you wouldn’t be able to see the beauty of the story when you read it. So I leave you with this, pick up the book and prepared to be wowed.

*Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please be mentally and emotionally prepared when going in for this read. Thankfully, friends had warned me of the content of this novel. There are triggers including rape and violence. This is a book that will tear your heart to pieces and leave you picking them up for days after. This is not a feel-good book, although there are still moments of hope even in the darkest of times.
I think books like this are important reads. They take us outside of ourselves and the bubble many of us live in. They remind us of what has and in some cases is still happening in our world. They give us perspective, sensitivity and maybe even the urge to do something about it.
I have called myself a survivor but I have not known the kind of life these girls had. I have not experienced the violence, pain and heartache that these girls endured. I don’t quite understand why anyone has to be subjected to such suffering. What is important to remember, is that these girls still had hope. There is always hope. We should never ever give up.
This book releases Tuesday, March 6th. Thank you to @jennsbookvibes and @flatironbooks for my giveaway copy. All opinions are my own.

[Jennifer (Insert Lit Pun)]

The fact that I finished this book four days ago and forgot to update it until now says something about how memorable I found the reading experience. There are really strong aspects to this story, but the characters and themes fall a bit flat (despite my loving the premise), and after the midway point everything gets weaker until things finally putter to a close. But I still think Rao is a writer to keep an eye on. Review for another outlet coming soon.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poornima and Savitha live in a village in India. Both are poor, with the responsibility of caring for their families. Poornima's father is searching for a suitable match for marriage, with little concern for Poornima's happiness. Her family weaves fabric for sari's, and when Savitha is hired to help work a look, she and Poornima develop a close bond of friendship. But when an act of violence causes Savitha to leave the village, Poornima is bereft at the loss of her friend. As each of their paths lead them in different directions, they both experience horrifying abuse, yet each still carry a light inside that cannot be estinguished. Never forgetting her friendship with Savitha, Poornima travels far and wide with the hope of reuniting.
A hauntingly beautiful novel of the bond of friendship and the ability to find inner strength in even the most horrifying situations.

[Kourtney]

...all the beacons of the world, standing all in a row, couldn't save her' - Savitha, Girls Burn Brighter 


Obliterated. Broken. Despaired.  Angry.  Despondent.  Heartbroken.  Helpless.  Hopeful.  Wretched.  Dejected.  Lost.  Furious.  Disappointed.   Hopeless.

These are all the words I would use to describe the way I felt during and after this read.  Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao broke my spirit and crushed all hope.  This is a story of two girls turned young women that begin their lives in India.  We meet Poornima and Savitha in Indravalli and follow along as they become the best of friends and furthermore the victims of their circumstances.  The book is broken down into multiple sections which I liked.  In fact, I needed those breaks.  My heart and my mind needed those points of pause, as I read and digested the lives of these two girls that I immediately fell in love with.  We begin with the section that introduces us to Poornima and Savitha as well as where they live, Indravalli.  As the girls get slightly older and their lives evolve (quickly) we are then given separate sections for each of their lives.  The characters, Poornima and Savitha, are richly developed and so lovable.  Their spirits, their fire, their fierceness rubbed off on me in a way I wasn't expecting or prepared for.  

Despite my love for these girls and this book literally giving me All. The. Feels.  This is a tough read.  This is one that you want to be prepared for going in. If you are looking for a heavy read that is off the charts empathy wise, this will definitely fit that bill.  There are multiple difficult situations in this book and while the majority of them aren't gratuitous, you never feel as though the bleeding stops.  Hope rises up from the ashes and you try to grab it before it's gone, but you can't.  

Know that there is no rainbow after the tsunami.

The ending left me wanting more. I. NEED. More. Is there a sequel? I don't know, but my mind wants to know what's next even though my heart isn't sure it can handle what might be next.  

This novel might be a work of fiction but the horrors found between the covers are a cruel reality for many women.  If you desire learning about other parts of the world from marginalized voices this book is exactly what you are looking for.  Stamp your reading passport with this tale from India that will obliterate your heart.  This book changed me.  I am not the same woman I was before I read it.     
                 
'We were once children, she thought; we were once little girls.  We once played in the dirt under the shade of a tree.' -Savitha, Girls Burn Brighter     

I feel almost guilty suggesting you read this book knowing what you will be put through. I was fortunate to buddy read this along with two fellow book lovers, Stacey and Megan.  I am so thankful I read this as part of a group.  We all needed to talk about this book and how it made us feel.  I highly recommend reading this with a buddy or with your book club, as opposed to reading it alone. 

Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me this free copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[disco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls Burn Brighter is the kind of book that will stay with you forever. This is such a satisfying work of art that the author could be content with this as her life’s work. I can’t imagine how much dedication, effort, and self that Shobha Rao had to give for this to become what it is.

We girls. Afraid of the wrong things, at the wrong times. Afraid of a burned face, when outside, outside waiting for you are fires you cannot imagine. Men, holding matches up to your gasoline eyes. Flames, flames all around you, licking at your just-born breasts, your just-bled body. And infernos. Infernos as wide as the world. Waiting to impoverish you, make you ash, and even the wind, even the wind. Even the wind, my dear, she thought, watching you burn, willing it, passing over you, and through you. Scattering you, because you are a girl, and because you are ash.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4+] This is a gut-wrenching, can't-put-down novel about two young Indian women and their friendship. I mostly liked Rao's writing even though she went overboard on the coincidences. Yet, I was so invested in Poornima and Savitha that I didn't care - I wanted to believe. I didn't want to leave these women. I wish I had another 300 pages of their stories to read!