Burntcoat

Edith Harkness, a renowned sculptor, recounts her life during a deadly pandemic that swept across Britain. Her narrative moves between the present day, as a new wave of the virus emerges, and memories of the first outbreak years earlier. The story centers on Edith's intense relationship with Halit, a Turkish chef she meets just before the initial lockdown begins. As society breaks down around them, they quarantine together in her studio space at Burntcoat, forming a connection against the backdrop of mounting casualties and social collapse. Within the pandemic narrative, Edith reflects on her artistic journey and her childhood with her mother, a writer who suffered a brain injury that transformed her personality. Her work as a sculptor, creating massive public art installations, provides the framework through which she processes both personal and collective trauma. The novel explores themes of art, survival, and the human body - both in sickness and desire. Through its parallel timelines, it examines how catastrophic events reshape individual lives and collective memory.

Readers describe Burntcoat as an intimate pandemic story that blends horror and love. The prose style receives frequent mentions, with readers noting Hall's poetic language and vivid descriptions. Multiple reviews highlight the raw emotional impact and the effective parallel narratives between past and present. Liked: - Atmospheric writing and sensory details - Complex mother-daughter relationship portrayal - Balance of tenderness and brutality - Integration of art themes with personal story Disliked: - Pacing issues, especially in middle sections - Some found the metaphors overworked - Several readers wanted more development of secondary characters - Sexual content too graphic for some readers' taste Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (5,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (1,200+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.9/5 (400+ ratings) "Like a fever dream" appears in multiple reader reviews, with others noting it's "not for the squeamish" but "impossible to look away from."

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🔥 Sarah Hall wrote Burntcoat during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, drawing parallels between her fictional pandemic and the real one unfolding around her. 🎨 The title "Burntcoat" refers to a Japanese wood preservation technique called shou sugi ban, where wood is charred to make it more durable—a metaphor for human resilience throughout the novel. 🏆 The novel was shortlisted for the 2022 Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize, which celebrates works that best evoke the spirit of a place. 🌡️ The fictional virus in the book, called "novavirus," causes victims to experience extreme fever and leads to disturbing physical transformations before death. 💫 Hall's protagonist, Edith Harkness, is a renowned sculptor who creates massive public artworks—a career choice inspired by real-life artists like Louise Bourgeois and Barbara Hepworth.