{"product_id":"the-burning-side","title":"The Burning Side","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSarah Damoff is the author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Burning Side \u003c\/i\u003eand \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e, which was a \n\u003ci\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller. She lives with her husband and children in Texas, where she has been a social worker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Detailed in three different perspectives, the familial and romantic intricacies are ripe for discussion (and tons of tears)...a tender family saga.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eMartha Stewart, \u003c\/i\u003eThe Best Book Club Books of 2026\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"[A] layered family saga... Damoff skillfully paints a picture of April and Leo's rich, complex marriage...in \n\u003ci\u003eThe Burning Side\u003c\/i\u003e, family--however unwieldy and difficult--is too precious a thing to throw away lightly.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Bookreporter\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"One of my all-time favorites... \n\u003ci\u003eThe Burning Side\u003c\/i\u003e is just perfection. I feel more connected to all of humanity after connecting so deeply to this family--and feel honored to have spent time with these fictional souls.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Zibby Owens, Totally Booked with Zibby\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Following the breakout success of her debut, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e, Damoff continues to explore the interplay of the many relationships that make up a family with rare sensitivity.\"-- \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOprah Daily\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"[A] heartbreaking tale of a family contending with its fractures in the wake of a devastating house fire...This will stay with readers.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Rich in poignant moments and nuanced characters...Damoff writes with lyrical precision, weaving fire imagery throughout the novel as both literal catastrophe and emotional metaphor. Her characters feel achingly real in their flaws and vulnerabilities...a compelling choice for book clubs.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Southern Literary Review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A deeply human story about marriage, caregiving, and the fragile ways families hold each other together.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Sarah Damoff has a rare gift for creating endearing characters who are recognizable human beings, flawed people striving to do their best for those they love.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Dallas Morning News\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Sarah Damoff's debut novel, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e, carries the sensitivity and knowledge of her years of experience as a social worker...Damoff's careful approach to depicting alcoholism, and her expressions of what it means to love (and be loved) amidst the wreckage of addiction, set this tender novel apart.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Elle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e is more than just a good novel. It is so masterfully constructed and so sensitively, satisfyingly written that one finds it hard to believe it is a first novel. It contains all the realism of everyday life for millions of everyday people: passionate romance, betrayal, abandonment, survival and overcoming the odds. It's a family saga filled with heart and hope, pain and joy, love and grief.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Dallas Morning News\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"In Damoff's heartfelt debut, which spans four generations, the impact of addiction is threaded tightly into a family's story. The novel examines the joys and sorrows of Lillian Bright and addresses a timeless theme: how alcohol decides what to destroy and what to leave alone.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--People\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Unforgettable characters and life-affirming moments shine in this powerful debut novel.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Woman's World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"To attempt to tell a convincing love story at this late stage in the history of the novel is to set the bar ambitiously high, and yet Sarah Damoff somehow pulls it off twice in a single book, penning two thoroughly persuasive, interrelated relationship histories, each with appealing texture and depth... \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e builds symphonically, polyphonically, reaching emotional crescendos and gliding into perfectly calibrated decrescendos that mimic the rhythms of real life.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Lit Hub\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e is a dazzling, true-to-life depiction of adoration and damage, and the lovely ache of living as the pendulum swings between them.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Outstanding...through Damoff's beautiful, at times almost poetic narrative, we see hope through the darkness, and how love--and forgiveness--can make us whole.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--BookReporter\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Tender and heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful...will make the reader feel like they are actually living through it alongside the characters.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Social worker Damoff's heartfelt debut focuses on the impact of alcohol addiction on a family over four generations...This family drama rings true.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Publishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen April and Leo's house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April's childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As the family reckons with the aftermath--grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact--the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo's marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April's generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo's relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Burning Side \u003c\/i\u003eis about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 (EAN 9781668085011, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eDamoff, Sarah\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSarah Damoff is the author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Burning Side \u003c\/i\u003eand \n\u003ci\u003eThe Bright Years\u003c\/i\u003e, which was a \n\u003ci\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller. She lives with her husband and children in Texas, where she has been a social worker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496289009942,"sku":"9781668085011","price":34.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781668085011.jpg?v=1783059097","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-burning-side","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}