Hurricane Summer
400 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Tilla (18 years old) and her sister Mia (9 years old) travel from their mother’s home in Canada to visit their estranged father on Jamaica. They haven’t seen him in a year and look forward to spending the summer with him. Unfortunately, that is not his plan. He takes them to his family’s home in the country and leaves them there after a few days. He claims he has work and will return in three weeks. Staying with virtual strangers, Tilla has a hard time fitting in. Her Aunt Herma is hostile to her along with her cousin Diana. The only one that she can be herself with is Andre, a young man with skin the color of midnight. Tilla is upset how Andre is treated differently from the others.
This was an amazing book. I stayed up all night to finish it. There is obvious classism and racism between the characters in the book. The story is fast paced as the hurricane season is cranking up. It is written in the first-person point of view and characters are well developed. The father daughter relationship is so intense and very relatable. At times I was cheering on Tilla and others I was questioning her actions. I highly recommend this book. It is definitely one that will make you think and appreciate life.
