Finish 2018 the right way: with the story of a powerful friendship and #squadgoals. In our final episode of the year, the Squad discusses "Girls Burn Brighter" by Shobha Rao. We talk about the novel’s themes, including grief, light/dark, and hope, as well as Rao’s writing style. We get into what shapes and drives the two main characters, and of course, we discuss the harrowing (seriously, it’s really bad) journey the women endure as they try to find one another again. Plus, we’ve got listener feedback on "Little Fires Everywhere" and "Suspiria." Watch "My Brilliant Friend" on HBO for our next #othersode and read "The Power" by Naomi Alderman for our next #bookpisode!

2:18 – What meal/food would people be able to identify you by?
9:49 – Summary and book intro
12:44 – Themes and shit: Grief
16:35 – What does “girls burn brighter” mean?
23:20 – Sensory details and what they might mean
32:33 – What happens with Poornima’s father?
34:46 – Sexual violence
43:20 – Bodies as commodities and disability
46:15 – Fear
50:30 – What about that ending, though?
- NYT Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/books/review/girls-burn-brighter-shobha-rao.html
1:02:29 – Ratings!
1:09:07 – Listener feedback!
1:30:34 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?

Next Othersode: HBO's "My Brilliant Friend," January 14th
Next Bookpisode: "The Power" by Naomi Alderman, January 28th