The White Hot is written in the form of a long letter from April Soto to her estranged daughter, Noelle. Noelle's point of view appears at the very beginning and the very end of the book, and we learn through April the story of her anger, abandonment, and lost potential which resulted in her leaving her daughter. I liked the descriptions of nature in this book; the language is poetic and pretty, though there are some pretty brutal descriptions of abuse and childbirth. This would be a good fit for someone interested in investigating complex family dynamics, out-of-the-norm coming-of-age, and specifically stories about young mothers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The book I finished right before this one had no personality at all. The writing was bland and without color, flavor, or skill. It moved the plot forward but nothing else.

Then I opened up The White Hot, and Hudes' writing immediately sizzled off the page. Yes, it's no surprise that a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright can write, but writing for the stage is very different than writing a novel. Her word and syntax choice informs as much if not more about the characters than the plot machinations do.

Four and a half stars

The story of a runaway mother’s ten days of freedom—and the pain, desire, longing, and wonder we find on the messy road to enlightenment

I have no words that can do this justice. Written as a letter to her daughter, this is the story of a mother who leaves her daughter to explore what life is like outside of motherhood. As a teenage mother, April feels trapped and unfulfilled in her life, carrying out the tradition of single motherhood in her family. She experiences "the white hot" as she rages against the conformity she is forced into. Hitting a breaking point, she leaves her confinement to embark on a journey of self-discovery. As a mother, I have felt that quiet rage and that all-encompassing thought of "what would happen if I leave?". That question, for me, is terrifying, but I found April's journey thrilling, scary, and freeing. Although it is less than 200 pages long, it is engrossing, raw, and evocative, and will be sure to generate discussion to anyone who reads it.

Interesting story, but I got bored. I wish more had happened. The premise of the letter was good but I feel that we could have learned more about April and Noelle

This was one of the most beautiful written stories I’ve ever read. It was engrossing and vivid. Like a fever dream. I can’t wait to read more from this author

The White Hot is a raw, lyrical, and unforgettable exploration of motherhood, identity, and the fierce, often painful journey toward self-discovery. Told as a letter from April, a mother who leaves her chaotic life behind, to her daughter Noelle, this novel unpacks a decade of absence, rage, healing, and reckoning.

Hudes’ prose is beautifully poetic, at times surreal, capturing the emotional intensity of April’s “white hot” moment—her overwhelming fury that propels her into a transformative and unexpected journey. The story delves deeply into family trauma, generational pain, and the complexities of what it means to choose oneself when society demands self-sacrifice, especially from mothers.

This is not an easy read. It’s challenging, honest, and unapologetic—forcing readers to sit with uncomfortable truths about love, anger, and survival. The epistolary format creates a deeply intimate connection, making April’s voice both vulnerable and fierce. The novel’s setting, moving between Western Pennsylvania cities and wild natural landscapes, enriches the story’s emotional landscape.

If you’re ready for a literary experience that is part raw confession, part mythic journey, and entirely gripping, The White Hot is a must-read. Hudes offers a fierce, unflinching look at motherhood and identity that lingers long after the last page.

4.5 stars! This story was unlike anything I’ve ever read. After a moment of overwhelming rage, which she calls “the white hot,” April walks out on her young daughter and chaotic household, intending to be gone for just ten days. Instead, she disappears for ten years. Told through a letter to her daughter, the story unpacks why she left, where she went, and what she discovered along the way.

This book was heartbreaking, emotional, upsetting, funny, and everything in between. My only regret is not reading it in one or two sittings. I read it over the course of a week, but I think the story is best experienced in a single sitting or two. The author completely immerses you in the world she’s created, using nature and setting almost as characters themselves. At times it felt like a fever dream, and I could feel the mental anguish and unraveling that April was going through.

This story explores family trauma, motherhood, poverty, and other sensitive topics with care and honesty. It approached these themes in a way I haven’t seen before. I think I’ll reread it someday, and next time I’ll do it in one sitting—something that might make it a five-star read for me. Though short, it packs an emotional punch. Please check it out when it releases on November 11th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of The White Hot!

Told in the form of a mother's lengthy letter to her daughter, "The White Hot" is an immersive narrative that details what happens when someone is pushed to the brink and leaves her family and responsibilities behind.

What starts as a seemingly normal dinner for April, a single mother to her teenage daughter Noelle, and her family ends in anything but when plates are broken, sharp words exchanged, and April unexpectedly just... leaves. She has barely any belongings and no plan, but the aggregate anger and fury that's built up within her over the years is the catalyst to her actions and the days that follow. With no end goal in sight, April finds herself meandering through Western Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, encountering people with lives and personalities completely unlike her own. These events, which are seemingly random and brief, having a lasting impact on Noelle as she grapples with her own identity and character, and the life she left behind.

Hudes's writing is fierce and gripping, and Noelle becomes a fully formed character in the deceptively short novel; we can feel "the white hot" that she carries, the anger, fury, and rage she's carried within her and has only compounded over time. While I'm not sure I fully comprehended all the sections of the novel (some parts felt more like a fever dream), it is a compelling story about a mother's eventual return to her family and the reconciliation between women across generation.

A recommended read when "The White Hot" is published in November 2025!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A mother daughter story that is so very painful. The characters are so realistic and so flawed.

Thank you #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouse books! Once again, a new treasure has been discovered within the catalogue of ARCs available to request and in seeing the kudos of another trusted writer (this time #AngieCruz) in a novel's description.

So grateful to have found #QuiaraAlegriaHudes's (the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright) "The White Hot" - a gorgeous epistolary tribute from a young mother to the daughter she abandoned and how the events turned into a heroine's journey for both of them. April Soto has been raised in a family of women and shares, what is to her, a too-familiar story of generations of women caring for women. One day April's resilience snaps and she simply walks out of her life. What ensues is an almost magical connection with the outside world (from the natural elements to new relationships to a deep self-discovery) none of which could have occurred if she had remained planted in her life.

The leaving (which started as 24 hours away from home and turned into a decade) is the gist of the novel (the world described within this letter -- given to daughter, Noelle, just weeks before her high school graduation). Somehow, the author beautifully creates the characters of both April and Noelle in this relatively brief novel (111 pages) and the message I was left with is that ANYTHING is possible. In a way, The White Hot is a tribute to each of our 'one wild and precious' lifetime.

The fact that I'm very familiar with Western PA (Pittsburgh) as well as Philly, PA (the primary settings in which events take place) only boosted my love for the novel.

Though I do not share the cultural history of these characters, I felt the familiar human yearning and many of the poignant emotions I've felt as a woman (and will likely retain until I am gone). Thank you for this amazing loan in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, rounded up.

The White Hot is beautifully written, with language so precise and a voice so sharply drawn that it often feels like non-fiction. It’s one of those rare novels that doesn’t just tell a story — it dares you to confront your own beliefs.

This is a bold, challenging perspective on motherhood, one that refuses the notion that being a parent means erasing yourself. April, the main character, is not easy to like. In fact, she’s often selfish, sometimes even cruel. But she is also real. And the beauty of this book lies in its ability to make you sit with that tension; to feel both discomfort and compassion.

Because who among us hasn’t struggled to be our best when we know we’re falling short? Does choosing yourself necessarily make you a bad person? That question hums beneath every page.

This isn’t a warm, feel-good read. It’s philosophically and emotionally difficult — but that’s the point. It’s about the messiness of being human. And in a world that still demands self-sacrifice from women (especially mothers), this book’s defiance feels important.

What’s brilliant is the author’s restraint. She knows this story is a sharp, painful cut, so she doesn’t drag it out. She makes her point, and leaves you sitting with it. Uncomfortable. Reflective. Changed.

It won’t be for everyone — some will find April too hard to stomach — but for those who appreciate fiction that pushes boundaries, this is one to read.

content warnings: suicidal ideation, domestic violence
thank you so much to @oneworld and @netgalley for the review copy ❤️
this doesn’t even come out until November but i absolutely could not wait! Hudes memoir, My Broken Language, is one of my all time favorite books and if you haven’t read it, please stop what you’re doing and go read it right nowww

okay this book is WEIRD and so human. it is atmospheric and elemental and honest and raw. it is about trying to find your way through all the pain and hurt of being left by the men who are supposed to care for you, of not feeling like enough as a mother, of not feeling like enough as a woman. of knowing only anger. of knowing only white hot rage. of finally letting the rage explode and letting the destruction just be, no matter the impact on those around you because you can’t possibly consider the impact for one second longer and maybe also the impact is the point

it’s hard to put a coherent review together for this achingly beautiful novel

I wanted to like this. I did - especially after reading Hudes’s memoir and my love for “In The Heights.” And initially the story of a mom running away felt, I don’t know, relatable at times? But then the story just got weird and a little unbelievable in April’s story for self-discovery. The writing also felt a little too much like Kerouac, which didn’t do it for me.

#summerreading #self-discovery #mothers #thewhitehot #netgalley

I almost didn’t finish this book, but I am so glad I did. In the beginning I was a little annoyed by the narrative voice, which felt overly dramatic in tone, and something about the pacing and rhythm didn’t feel genuine or personal enough, but it grew on me as the details of the story unfolded. This is a powerful story, and one that is not easy to read - a mother who leaves her daughter and then years later writes a letter explaining her actions. Nothing is sugarcoated, the story is raw and honest as it explores questions of identity and culture and the things which imprint in us our reactions to the world around us - there is much to ponder in terms of responsibility and privilege, love, family, and whether letting go is a way to save ourselves as much as it is a way to save someone we love.

The story gripped me from the start. It was hard to read, hard not to judge a mother who’d leave her daughter, but I also wanted to understand why. It turned out to be a journey of rediscovering life. After I got over the judgment, I enjoyed the book. It has incredible writing.

This is a sad tale of a mother who doesn't know how to be a mother, who doesn't know herself and who sells herself short. I had a difficult time reading this book, I couldn't connect with the defeatism in the main character and how she was in her own way time after time. Making bad choices, running away, taking advantage of people, nothing filled the void that was inside her. It is a raw, emotional book, well written but hard to read.

High stakes permeate the entire book, with heavy themes being addressed. The pain was unbearable at times, told in a raw way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

You don’t just read it, you feel it.

There’s no easy plot to summarize. It’s about a woman seeking healing across time, generations, and spiritual realms. It’s messy, surreal, intimate. You have to let go of control and let the rhythm take over. But if you do? It rewards you with some of the most raw, beautiful writing about what it means to carry both trauma and joy in your bones.

It won’t be for everyone — it’s more vibe than thriller, more ritual than page-turner — but if you’re open to a literary experience that feels like soul medicine, this book delivers.

This is a short and interesting read, told from the perspective of a mother who leaves her daughter and writes her a letter years later. The writing style is lyrical and dream-like, it reminded me of A Short Walk Through A Wide World in style, not plot. A very interesting take on motherhood and all of its complexities.