In the spring of 2024, Gina N. Brown launched her second novel The Sugar Bowl Feud. The premise was so intriguing that we added it to our Staff Reads List. You be the judge after you read this teaser on the back of the book.
“The rule of if your siblings get something you want, you try to take it, break it, or say it’s no good.” Patricia Fleming
Four siblings inherit their Mom’s house full of stuff. And they all want the same item. What could possibly go wrong?
When Courtney claims a long-forgotten sugar bowl as a memento of her late mother, suddenly the law of siblings kicks in. Twins Brando and Brandi and sister Mona want the bowl too—and they’ll do what it takes to have it or go down in flames trying.
Fueled by grief and sentimentality, squabbles erupt as the four slip into childhood roles and reignite birth-order rivalry. Facing emotional issues and tough decisions, Courtney and her siblings are soon caught in an endless round of estate whack-a-mole.
With tensions rising around their Mom’s memorial service, they take turns behaving questionably, resulting in a series of surprising, shocking and sometimes hilarious family moments.
Set in small-town Nova Scotia and told with compassion, frankness and humor, The Sugar Bowl Feud explores the overwhelming grip of grief through the eyes of each sibling as they try to cope with loss and move forward with their lives. But is the family foundation strong enough to survive?
We asked interested parties to read and review The Sugar Bowl Feud, then we took it one step further in asking if there was a particular coveted item in their family that everyone wanted. The following is what came back.
“Nobody can tell you how hard grief is, how to respond to it, or how long it will last. Sometimes it feels like a lingering houseguest who won’t reveal their departure date”
― Gina N. Brown, The Sugar Bowl Feud
The Sugar Bowl Feud (2024) by Gina Brown is a good tale, conveying with humour and heart the unexpected strife in a family of adult children when the late mother’s estate must be divided. The book was well-paced, with a mix of poignancy and silliness. Why does everyone want the humble sugar bowl, and what is its ultimate destiny? You’ll have to read it to find out.- Linda Lefleur
First posted on August 13th, 2024 at https://miramichireader.ca/
Set in small-town Nova Scotia, The Sugar Bowl Feud explores the many facets of grief and how four very different siblings deal with and cope with the pain of overwhelming loss. Told in alternating chapters, from each of the sibling’s points of view, we are introduced to each sibling along with their quirks, opinions, and personalities.
Courtney is the oldest and the executor of the will. She is highly organized, with long to-do lists as she deals with the estate. We note that she is also a perfectionist and has low opinions of her siblings. They do not meet her high standards and she refers to them in mostly unflattering terms. The twins are two years younger, Brando and Brandi, and Courtney refers to them as the Brandies. Brando is the only male and is described as stubborn and domineering. Brandi is the peacemaker who avoids confrontation by just agreeing with her brother. The three grew up in a trailer park, dirt poor, with their single mom. Their father went to pick up some baby food and never returned. Their half-sister, Mona, had a more secure life, born a decade later after their mother had remarried. Courtney and the twins describe her as “failure to launch, entitled, peace-loving, anti-capitalist, jobless, spoiled, and pampered”. Their mom, Babs, died of cancer. She was a bit of a hoarder with a house and garage full of estate finds, some worthless, but some that might be worth something, including what the family believed to be a Maud Lewis original. Another personality that appears in the story is their mother’s lifetime friend and house cleaner, Doris.
As it says on the back of the book, The Sugar Bowl Feud is “told with compassion, frankness and humor,…(it) explores the overwhelming grip of grief through the eyes of each sibling as they do their best to cope.”
The Sugar Bowl Feud is a story that will stick with you long after you finish it. It will raise questions about your own life and cause you to think about family, estates, and being prepared. You might even have the urge to downsize your estate, make sure your will is in order, and make your last wishes known to your family. Brown did a wonderful job balancing sensitive issues with humour to deliver an entertaining story.- Sue Slade
Atlantic Book Reviews- Lana Shupe
Set in small-town Nova Scotia, four siblings navigate the aftermath of the overwhelming grip of grief after their mother’s death. Told with compassion, frankness and interspersed with moments of levity, the chapters alternate between each sibling as they do their best to cope with everyday life.
The author has perfectly captured the tension that mounts as the siblings deal with all the legal responsibilities and individual turmoil caused by childhood trauma.
The final “big scene” which finally tore the siblings apart and the resulting “solving” of “the sugar bowl feud” was perfectly beautiful.
The author expertly explores the family dynamics around grief. This particular passage illustrates just how well she has captured the emotions that arise through grief.
“…grief doesn’t unfold neatly like a well-behaved set of dominoes. To me the stages and emotions looked more like a laptop circuit board, where the connection paths have a journey and an end goal but bounce all over the map to get there”
It’s not often I stick with a book that I can’t find a character to like but this was different. Reading about how these very different siblings navigate the loss of their mother made me think of my own mortality and what I’m leaving behind !!
The complexity of each character is well done, so much so that there are a few I loathed!!!!
All in all it’s the perfect read for a chilly winter day.- Jen Robley
‘Family-having someone to love you unconditionally in spite of your shortcomings’
After their mother’s passing four adult siblings are left to settle their family estate. They soon realize that carrying out their mother’s wishes may not be as straightforward as they thought. Set in a small town in Nova Scotia the author gives us a glimpse of what can happen in a family when the mother passes. A mother who had always kept the family together, who settled squabbles, who with a simple spoonful of sugar made the hard times feel ‘not so hard’. Now these four adults are left to follow the wishes set out in their mother’s will. When the oldest, Courtney, lays claim to the ‘sugar bowl’ suddenly her three siblings all decide they want it too. Battling their feelings of loss, grief, and old childhood rivalries, can this family come together to honour the mother they all loved? And who will end up with the sugar bowl?- Amy McIsaac
Definition: Family Tree
Noun: singular
Like the living plant for which it’s named, a Family Tree has deep, tenacious roots and ever-growing branches- both supportive and non-supportive- which bear a wide variety of fruits and nuts.
― Gina N. Brown, The Sugar Bowl Feud