An accessible, realistic cross-cultural coming-of-age novel about seeking a balance between tradition and change.
A teen challenges family norms and navigates her sexuality in this novel centering on an Afro-Caribbean Canadian community.
Denise, a Black girl born and raised in Ontario by Jamaican immigrant parents, is about to go away to college to study business. Her upbringing has been deeply entrenched in Jamaican culture, and she proudly possesses a deep love of the food and language—and especially dancehall and reggae music. She follows in her father’s footsteps as a DJ and branches out into online streaming. Denise realizes she may be entering a new phase of her life in more ways than one. During one of her frequent visits to Jamaica, she spots a young woman and experiences an immediate attraction to her. But because she’s from a religious Christian family, Denise’s exploration of her feelings causes tension among a lot of her family members, who are traditional in their views and perceive this behavior as a harmful foreign influence. Denise must figure out how to stay true to her evolving sense of self while still honoring everything’s that led to who she is today. Robinson’s language and descriptions of the dual worlds Denise navigates as a first-generation Canadian are authentic in this work with reluctant reader appeal that explores important themes relating to family, community, and identity. Some important, poignant moments feel rushed and are therefore diminished in impact, however.
An accessible, realistic cross-cultural coming-of-age novel about seeking a balance between tradition and change. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781459418158
Page Count: 152
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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