Burst- A Novel by Mary Otis

5 (2)
$16.99

Product Details

Web ID: 16778606

Award-winning author, Mary Otis of Yes, Yes, Cherries ("Funny, brave, and amazing" - Lorrie Moore) delivers an arresting debut novel that explores the relationship complexities between mothers and daughters, the desire to escape, and the longing to connect. Burst is a powerful story about how we become and unbecome our mothers, how we absorb the past, and how we burst into our own futures. Viva has always found ways to manage her mother's impulsive, eccentric, and addictive personality. She's had to for her entire life, it has always been Viva and Charlotte against the world. After accidentally discovering an innate ability for dance, Viva chases her new passion with the same fervor with which her mother chases the bottle. Over the years, Viva's talent becomes a ticket to a life of her own, and as she moves further away from home to pursue her dream, Charlotte struggles to make peace with her own past as a failed artist and the effects of her addiction. When tragedy strikes, Viva begins a downward spiral and must decide whether she will repeat her mother's mistakes or finally take control of her life. Told from interwoven perspectives with lyrical writing as deft as a choreographed dance, Burst excavates a mother-daughter relationship to reveal its gorgeous beating heart.

  • Product Features

    • Suggested age range- Adult
    • Format- Paperback
    • Dimensions- 5.4" W x 8.1" H x 0.8" D
    • Genre- Fiction
    • Publisher- Zibby Books, Publication date- 04-04-2023
    • Page count- 280
    • ISBN- 9781958506011

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Ratings & Reviews

5/5

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2 years ago
from OC, CA

This is one you’ll hold on to…

You know how some books you hand off to friends, and others you hold on to and keep on your bookshelf all for yourself? The extra-special ones that you’d rather just buy your friend a copy of, rather than risk never seeing again? This is one of those books. This is one you’ll hold on to. Mary Otis’s Burst checks all the boxes of a won’t-be-forgotten read: compelling characters, a driving narrative and the kind of visual imagery that only a master of words can deliver. The relationship between Charlotte and Viva beautifully exemplifies the complex nuances between a mother and daughter; one that is continuously evolving as they each move through their parallel lives and the branches of their relationship grow further from the roots they share—growing from the same ground but searching for the light in different directions. I will remember this one for a while, and look forward to whatever Otis creates next.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Los Angeles, CA

A beautifully written, deeply moving novel

Burst is a stunning and deeply moving novel, a beautifully written story of a mother and daughter’s individual reckonings with their artistic ambitions, their addictions, and most of all, with each other. Mary Otis weaves a heartbreaking tale with many moments of unexpected humor, which only add to the humanity of her characters. Viva and her mother Charlotte are a “society of two,” whose lives are so intertwined that Viva is certain they will be together even when reincarnated, "though she knew it was possible they might not come back again as mother and daughter but perhaps as farmer and pig.” Charlotte raises Viva on the road or as permanent “guests" of their friends and relatives as she struggles with her own failed artistic pursuits as well as her dependence on alcohol. As Viva later seeks escape and direction in her pursuit of modern dance, the push and pull of her relationship with Charlotte looms large, and she is in danger of going down the same path as her mother. Otis’s prose is lyrical, sharp, and rhythmic, and I love her descriptions of dance, photography and painting. She has a true gift for bringing these art forms to life.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com