I was sent an advanced copy of Melancholy of Summer by Louisa Onomé for my honest review thanks to the people at Turn The Pages Tours. This YA novel illuminates how teens can often feel alone but ultimately find peace within their chosen family.
Book Synopsis
After her parents go on the run, a teenage girl placed in the care of a cousin she barely knows learns to trust and open up in The Melancholy of Summer , a lyrical YA contemporary coming-of-age story by Louisa Onomé
Doesn’t she see? I can do this on my own.
Summer Uzoma is fine. Sure, her parents went on the run after they were accused of committing a crime, leaving her behind. Sure, she’s been alternating stays with her friends’ families. Sure, she sometimes still secretly visits her old home. And sure, she has trouble talking about any of this. But she’s fine. She has her skateboard and her bus pass. She just has to turn eighteen in a few weeks and then she’ll really and truly be free.
So it’s extra annoying when a nosy social worker gets involved. Summer doesn’t expect any relative to be able to take her in, so she’s very surprised to hear that she’ll now be living with her cousin Olu―someone she hasn’t seen in years, who’s a famous singer in Japan last she heard, and who’s not much older than Summer.
Life with Olu is awkward for many reasons―not least of all because Olu has her own drama to deal with. But with her cousin and friends’ efforts, maybe Summer can learn to trust people enough to let them in again?
Feelings of Abandonment
After her parents leave her behind, Summer experiences feelings of abandonment. She has maintained her life despite her parents leaving but as her friends begin to make their university plans, she realizes they won’t be together forever. She is also temporarily housed with a distant relative that is also making plans to return to her own life in Japan. She creates this expectation that everyone in her life will eventually leave.
I appreciate the author’s choice of using Summer’s age as a literary device that truly showcases the myriad of ways a teenager’s life changes. That expected shift to eighteen, to adulthood, is supposed to bring about a number of changes but for Summer all she can see is that she may potentially be alone. With no parents, and all of her friends going away to college, Summer is forced to face her feelings around abandonment. In the end, she realizes that she does have people that will look out for her.
Finding Peace
One thing that is really common in contemporary novels is the incessant need for therapy. Not that therapy is a bad thing but it also is not for everyone. In many ways, finding areas of peace can help to heal. The beach was Summer’s place of peace. It offered her the ability to sit with her feelings and to really make sense of all that she was going through. The use of the beach being a place of happiness was so timely for Summer.
One aspect I also appreciated was the woman inviting Summer into her old house. It is an odd thing when you think about it but it acted as a therapy session, which allowed Summer to release the pent-up emotions from her parents leaving.
Your Chosen Family
A strong theme in this book is that your chosen family will be there for you when you are in need. Summer was fortunate enough to have friends that allowed her to stay with her for almost a year while her parent’s mugshots were plastered across many TVs. Her chosen family offered her support more than her own family. The deceit she experience from her own aunt, who knew about her parents whereabouts, was so gut wrenching to read but it pushed her into the arms of people that actually care about her.
My Review
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it interrogated how in many instances we may feel alone but we always will have someone even if it’s a stranger. I really loved that in the end everything worked out for Summer. She was able to not only go to school, but to have somewhere to live. The author does a very good job of taking readers on the emotional ride that Summer is experiencing, particularly around the uncertainty of her future. As readers, we have no idea what will be Summer’s fate.
Melancholy of Summer will be available May 30th. You can purchase your copy here.
