This is the last1 Sophie Kinsella novel.
I have always loved Sophie’s work. I read the Shopaholic books decades ago, while studying for a lit degree, as a little light relief. Sophie’s characters and world building is always so rich – I love escaping into her books.
The Burnout follows Sasha through a breakdown she has at work that drives her to seek solace at the beach location she used to holiday at as a child. Isolated from her job and the relentless pressure that otherwise drives her forwards, Sasha finds herself with the space and time to work through the grief of losing her father, and of losing herself in the process.
The external plot centres around a tragic event that happened in Rilston Bay back when Sacha was a child. Teaming up with the dark and mysterious Finn, Sacha has to journey through the events of that summer in order to save the local Surf Shack that she loved so much as a child.
As ever from Sophie Kinsella, there is a gorgeous cast of supporting characters, and Rilston Bay is fleshed out as a seaside town barely clinging to its glory days. There is a beautiful contrast between Sacha’s childhood memories of the space – soft and technicolour – and the reality of the crumbling grand hotel and struggling town shops.
For me, this book captures the feeling of hiraeth – the longing to return to a time and place that no longer exists and can never be re-visited. Despite being laced with humour, there’s a gentle thread of profound sadness running through the first two-thirds of this book – Sacha is adrift in her own life, no longer sure of who she is or what she wants.
I enjoyed the tight first person focus on Sasha and the pressures that she feels. She looks outward for instructions and schedules and lists in a way that anyone who hides themselves in work can relate to. But when she starts doing the inner work – sorting through her past and her feelings – that’s when we start to understand who she really is.
The setting is one I could easily picture, and I loved how three-dimensional the supporting characters were throughout – you really get the feeling that they have entire lives going on beyond the pages of the book.
The ending is satisfying without feeling contrived, and is uplifting for it. Sacha doesn’t abandon her whole life, but she takes the lessons and her new self back into something that suits her.
This is definitely a book about nostalgia, introspection, and ‘doing the work’ rather than being a light-hearted romance. Sasha is very broken for most of the novel, and while I personally enjoyed the resonance, I can see that the plot beats would feel very slow if you were expecting more of a Summer Romance.
“The thing you must remember is to enjoy the ride.” He looks at me with a sharp blue gaze, and just for an instant I’m looking at the old Terry. “Enjoy every moment. Because if you don’t, what’s the point? The ride is it.”
| References to Cancer or Brain Cancer | Sasha’s Dad passed away from cancer, and the ghost of his death haunts the narrative quite a bit. There are many references to the before and after of her Dad’s diagnosis and the impact on Sacha’s life. |
| Focuses on Death or Dying | As she reminisces about her childhood holidays, Sacha thinks a lot about her Dad and about never having gone back to Rilston since her Dad died. There are several memories of how Sacha’s Mum coped with her grief in the aftermath of her Dad’s death. Sacha manages to work through some of her grief within the novel – talking out loud to her Dad and allowing herself to find comfort in his memory. |
| Happy Ending | Of course! And a fitting one at that. Sacha finds herself, finds a better application for her mad mad skills, and wins her man. In celebrating the history of Rilston Bay, we get the feeling that Sacha is also honouring the things that made her childhood great. |
| Does the Dog Die | No animals are featured in this book. |
| Did I Cry? | I did. Reading this book while dealing with my husband’s terminal cancer diagnosis meant I leant heavily into the ghost of Sacha’s Dad and the inherent sadness of knowing you can never return to the happy days. Sacha is revising a place from twenty-years in her past, and there are some touching interactions with a former Father-figure that brought up tears in a good and gentle way. But I found this book cathartic and clever – and the way the plot unfolds feels well balanced and satisfying. |
- Actually, Sophie wrote What Does It Feel Like about her journey with Glioblastoma, which was written and published after this was. But this is her last ‘real’ novel written in her style. ↩︎
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