Title: Hurricane Summer
Author: Asha Bromfield
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Wednesday Books (Macmillan Publishers)
Date published: May 4, 2021
A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.
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.
⤖ My Review ⬻
This book. This book! Where do I begin? I suppose I could start with when I first heard about the book. I was at a virtual Raincoast Preview event when this incredible cover appeared on my computer screen. Hurrican Summer‘s cover is magnificent. I thought so then, and I think so even more now after having read it and knowing the story behind the moment the cover art is capturing.
I am getting emotional just thinking back on that moment, and the story in this book as a whole, and I finished reading it almost a month ago. The author, Asha Bromfield, channeled so much pain into this book that it was almost palpable. But Hurricane Summer didn’t only focus on pain, but also growth and learning how not only to be yourself and but also to love and accept yourself.
There is obviously no way that I can fully understand the main character, Tilla’s, or the other characters’ experiences because of my privilege. Tilla’s struggles with seeing Jamaica or Canada as her home reminded me a little of the way that I feel about Romania versus Canada, but that is where even the slightest similarities end. The two situations are not comparable, nor do I claim that they are. I felt for Tilla, but I know that our experiences will never be the same.
Prior to Hurricane Summer, I had heard about internalized racism. This book however put it on display for me a way that had the most impact so far I believe. The damage done by colonialism runs deep and continues to hurt people. More people need to become aware of this, and I will personally look into this further and educate myself. While Hurricane Summer shed some light on things for me, I know that there is still a lot for me to learn.
Taking a step out of the story itself, which is difficult for me to do because it pulled me in so effectively and left such a mark on me, I would like talk about Bromfield’s writing. In Hurricane Summer, her debut novel, the author wrote a character caught between countries, between parents, between cultures in such a believable way that I almost felt as if I were reading an autobiography rather than a contemporary novel. I believe that Bromfield did mention in the afterword that she poured a lot of her experiences and feelings into Hurricane Summer…
For those assuming that this made the writing process easier for the author, I would like to say that while channeling a part of yourself into a book is easy, doing so effectively and as beautifully and evocatively as Bromfield has done with Hurricane Summer takes talent and skill. I could go on and on about this book, but I will stop here. I highly recommend this book and also recommend that you read reviews of this book written by OwnVoices reviewers.
⤖ About the Author ⬻
Asha Bromfield is an actress and writer of Afro-Jamaican descent. She is known for her role as Melody Jones, drummer of “Josie and the Pussycats” in CW’s Riverdale. She also stars as Zadie Wells in Netflix’s hit show, Locke and Key. Asha is a proud ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Project, and she is pursuing a degree in
Communications. She currently lives in Toronto, and her name translates to “Life” in Swahili. In her spare time, she loves studying astrology, wearing crystals, burning sage, baking vegan desserts, and taking walks to the park with her dogs Luka and Kyra. Hurricane Summer is her debut novel.
⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻
⤖ Let's Chat ⬻
Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
Fantastic review! I definitely love the sound of this one. xx
Thank you! And I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did 😀