Tags: Asexual, POC and Queer, Young Adult
Jen Ferguson’s powerful and beautifully written YA debut novel follows a demisexual Métis teen girl from a Canadian prairie town, who over one summer must grapple with an unwelcome figure from her past—as well as the questions about identity, secrets, confusion about her sexuality, and relationships that all make up who she is. Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award in Young People's Literature, a Morris Award Finalist, and a Stonewall Award Honor Book.
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.
Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.
But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.
While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.
Debut author Ferguson, who is Métis and White, touches on intergenerational family suffering at the hands of the state, mental health, substance abuse, racism, sexual harassment and assault, and missing and murdered Indigenous women—all with nuance and care. Heart-rending and healing; a winning blend that will leave readers satisfied." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Young adult readers can relate to the struggles Lou is facing as she navigates her transition from high school to college, and also use them as a conversation starter about race, identity, sexuality, dating, and friendship." -Horn Book (starred review)
"In a layered first-person portrayal of a young Indigenous woman navigating the edge of adulthood, Ferguson (who is Métis and white) tackles necessary issues—of identity and sexuality alongside colonialism, generational trauma, racism, physical and sexual assault, and substance reliance—through well-wrought, complicated characterizations and prose that sings with poetry." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Ferguson’s frank and powerful debut opens readers’ eyes to the multiplicity of daily traumas faced by people of color, especially Indigenous women and girls. Ferguson, herself Michif/Métis and white, boldly writes on many challenging topics, including racism, physical violence, sexual identity, sexual assault, and teen alcohol use. Lou is complex, smart, and honest, and a narrator readers will trust, love, and learn from as she works to repair friendships and gain security for her treasured family." -Booklist (starred review)
"Brutally honest about the sexual and physical violence Native women are subjected to, this story deals with a variety of painful topics and their impact on Louise’s friends and family... The honesty and complexity of this book make it a gripping read." -School Library Journal (starred review)
"Like an unexpected tart note swirling through a creamy, cold treat, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet layers the harsh truths and deep connections that thread through a Canadian prairie town....In this heartfelt story, we come to see the complex lives beneath the wide-open landscape. " -Star Tribune
