Official Review: Sugar Scars by Travis Norwood

[JennyS]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sugar Scars" by Travis Norwood.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When I first picked up Sugar Scars by Travis Norwood, I was prepared to read for a little bit, taking notes, which I would continue to do over several sessions. Instead, I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting, forgetting entirely to jot anything down or pay attention to anything but finding out what happens next. Then I slowed down and re-read it later, this time reading in chunks instead of wolfing it all down. It is a great, fast read and was enjoyable to go through a second time, more slowly, savoring the details like icing on a decadent chocolate cake.

Sugar Scars is a delicious post-apocalyptic story that takes place in Florida, sometime close to our own, and is narrated by one of the survivors of a deadly virus that has wiped out all but 1 in every 9,600 people. The narrator, whose real name we never learn but who goes by the nickname Sugar, spins out her story to us, as future readers of a journal she intends to leave behind. Sugar, as it turns out, is an appropriate nickname for this survivor who has type-1 diabetes and needs shots of insulin multiple times per day to survive.

In current times, living with type-1 diabetes is relatively simple: there are doctors available for diagnoses and to help manage the disease, insulin is available at every pharmacy and hospital, and pharmaceutical manufacturers continue to churn out drugs to extend and save lives all the time. With more than 99% of the world’s population gone, however, Sugar must learn how to really survive—she is immune to the virus but will be killed by her own body if she doesn’t learn how to make insulin before the last of the pre-made stock expires.

Though the main theme of this book is survival, there are many other themes that are handled beautifully. We see this in the form of education (Sugar didn’t graduate high school, but she is a whiz with numbers, yet she still needs to learn enough about science to create insulin); community (Sugar, an orphan, likes to be alone but also learns that she needs other people to survive); love; reinventing oneself; and the desire to live (that choice was removed for the victims but the survivors have to fight to keep the life that was spared, just as Sugar has to fight to save her own life rather than just waiting to die). The topic of diabetes is discussed thoughtfully and sensitively. The book also manages to be educational, both about the disease itself as well as about the scientific achievements that were made in creating insulin.

The best part of Sugar Scars is the sense you get of how plausible this all might be. The author gives a very solid portrayal of human nature and includes a cross-section of all humanity seen in the survivors who are left to inhabit the world. People who could be considered good have survived, and people who do bad things have also survived. Some people are basically good but have to do immoral things to continue their survival, and some immoral people are also shown doing what they think is best at the time. None of it feels preachy or overly judgmental. The interactions between the survivors feels very realistic, especially at the beginning while everyone is still adjusting to the new world and learning how to find everyday things such as electricity, food, cars, and medicine, and later as they discover how to move on, create new societies, and find their own place within those social restructurings.

There are a few moments, especially at the height of the action, where the reader is called upon to suspend their disbelief even more than just the basic acceptance of most of the world’s population being dead. Without giving anything away, the pilot with Alzheimer’s disease—who is an interesting character and well written—asks us to believe in him more than some of the other characters. The ending, while it is evident that the book is leading up to it, is not given away too early and is appropriate for the journey we go on with the narrator. There are a few copyediting mistakes, relatively minor, but they are not distracting and do not warrant the loss of a star. Thus, I am giving Sugar Scars a tasty four out of four stars, and I highly recommend it to all readers old enough to handle the post-apocalyptic genre.

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Sugar Scars
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Like JennyS's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kimmyschemy06]

That sounds very interesting. I love this part most of all

'The author gives a very solid portrayal of human nature and includes a cross-section of all humanity seen in the survivors who are left to inhabit the world'

I hope to read it someday. Great review!

[JennyS]

Hi! Thanks! If you get the chance, you should definitely check it out - I am very glad that I was introduced to this book.

[anonanemone]

Great job on the review! I will add this book to my read list. Thank you for the recommendation.