I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield Narrator: Asha Bromfield
Published by Wednesday Books on May 4, 2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / Diversity & Multicultural, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / Caribbean & Latin America
Pages: 400
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Library, Publisher
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In this sweeping debut, Asha Bromfield takes readers to the heart of Jamaica, and into the soul of a girl coming to terms with her family, and herself, set against the backdrop of a hurricane.
Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true home: the island of Jamaica.
When Tilla’s mother tells her she’ll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him.
In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise—all in the midst of an impending hurricane.
Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic—and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.
I enjoyed this book! It was a very emotional read and I loved that the story tackled some difficult topics. It did take me just a bit to really get into the story but once I did, I was hooked. I felt for Tilla as she went on this journey and am very glad that I decided to pick up this book.
Tilla and her younger sister Mia go to spend the summer with their father in Jamaica. But soon after their arrival, their father leaves them with his family in the country while he goes off to the city for business. Tilla is an outsider and everyone makes sure that she knows it. Many of her family members treat her horribly but she does make a few bonds that are very important to her. When a hurricane hits the island, things may get worse than she ever imagines. This was a coming-of-age story and at times Tilla seemed very naive but I do think that she grows a lot by the end of the story. My heart went out to Tilla as she tried to make sense of life in Jamaica. The book deals with racism, privilege, abuse, and sexual shaming. I hated the way that some of Tilla’s female relatives treated her by constantly knocking her down instead of being supportive.
I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author and I thought that she did a great job with the narration. I especially enjoyed the accents that she used for many of the characters. I am not always a fan of author narrated audiobooks but in this case, I think it worked well.
I would recommend this book to others. Tilla’s journey was very emotional with quite a few highs and lows but it comes together to make a very worthwhile story. I would not hesitate to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from St Martin’s Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
Yes, that is a situation and setting that would grab my attention. Thanks for putting it on my radar.
This sounds interesting and compelling. I like that it touches on some really dark topics and I love the setting. I will have to look for this one.