Sugar by Edward Narain and Tarryn Phillips is a gripping ethnographic novel that blends research and lived experiences to offer an unflinching view of the lives of three very different individuals. The book opens with a compelling hook that immediately caught my attention. However, after this initial intrigue, the narrative takes its time to build the world, introducing the main protagonists and gradually establishing their significance within the larger story. This slow start can be a bit challenging, especially with the numerous characters involved, but the payoff is worth the effort as the layers of the narrative unfold.

The greatest strength of Sugar is the authenticity it brings to the table. The authors’ unfiltered portrayal of the protagonists’ lives feels raw and honest. There is a simplicity to the writing that enhances the sense of realism, drawing the reader into the characters’ experiences. I felt deeply connected to the characters, each with their own struggles and realities, and the alternating perspectives provided a unique insight into their vastly different worlds.

As the story progresses, the narrative tightens, and the time spent on each protagonist's perspective becomes shorter, gradually building tension and urgency. This structure brilliantly contrasts the resignation some characters feel within their familiar cultural context with the naivety of others attempting to navigate unfamiliar terrain. It’s this juxtaposition of perspectives that adds emotional depth and poignancy to the storytelling.

While the book excels in its cultural immersion and powerful character exploration, one small drawback is the lack of a glossary for the Fijian/Indian words used throughout the novel. These terms are integral to the cultural authenticity of the story, but for readers less familiar with the language, a glossary would have been a helpful addition, enhancing the experience and clarifying meanings.

In conclusion, Sugar is an immersive and thought-provoking read. The authors succeed in portraying the complexities of the characters' lives with honesty and depth, while also capturing cultural nuances and societal dynamics. Despite the challenges in following multiple characters and understanding some of the unfamiliar language, the book is compelling and deeply impactful. It is a story that lingers in the mind long after the final page, leaving readers with a greater appreciation for lives and cultures that are often left unexplored.

#ARC #NetGalley

Sugar skillfully weaves together storylines of Fijians with native, Indian, and white roots into a compelling story that kept me turning the pages. Sugar follows several characters who experience a murder in their community. In delving into the crime and unraveling the mystery of whodunnit, the authors dissect modern Fiji and the effects of multinational corporations, immigration, and political unrest on its society.

My favorite part of this book was the nuance with which the authors discussed the characters' various cultural identities. The authors dove into the history of each of these groups and how they affected each character. The characters were well-developed and the plot moved along quickly.

Highly recommend, and I'll be looking for more books from these authors.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book with lots of research in it, and it showed! this book was written by 2 authors and I think that they did mesh well together and the book flowed well. I do think there were some dull or dense parts in this book, probably due to an overload of research and information. But it was still a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

When an amazing book, I really loved it. Because at the endthe book that told The story about How does two authors wrote this book. It was like a love story in mystery everything rolled into one. H e a n n a h came to fiji to work for public health on diabetes. This was really interesting because she meant a lot of different people there is well. There was a bunch of Australians and people from different parts. Who came together to work on different projects in F I j I. They're also worried about a typhoon called dorothy. Hannah Made friends with the family in the settlement. They talked about this indian woman her husband used to drive for the prime ministers. They talked about the racial problems between the native Fijians, and these Indians were brought there to work on. The Sugar C a n e or For the british issue control these plantations. And how some of these people had a lot of problems with the sugar because they became diabetic. I've put that really interesting when she met. This boy who had a lot of problems because his grandmother named bo was very diabetic. We try to do everything right. But things just didn't go with his way every time. I like how the author played all these things together.. Hannah may friends one dorothy hit the island she helped with The people who lost their homes. She became friendly with the ex patriots there and she went to the party. Today's money to help these people. Her friend ethan was her really good friend Because he was a lawyer and he became involved in this as well. The indian husband was murdered and they blamed it on this child. And she became really strong in the book look as well. You can tell society was against these people because they do not have money more power. Native Fl JI. Put up with a lot of the stuff..

This is such a hard book to rate. As a teaching tool it’s a 5-star for interest and effort… way to make learning more interesting! I would love this as a recommended reading for a uni class (much better than some of the books I read in anthropology courses. As a novel, this book was a little rough and I found it challenging to get into the flow of the story. I’ve given it 4-stars here, because it was advertised as an ethnographic novel, so I should have known what I was getting into. I hope the authors decide to write more, I think the idea was very interesting.

I found this book interesting. I liked that it had the viewpoint of 3 very different people represented throughout the narrative and showed the growth of those 3 people throughout the book.