A review by mrsmiralda
Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was incredible. I absolutely loved reading this, and it also hurt so so much.

Be warned, there’s plenty of triggers in this one: sexual, physical, verbal, and domestic abuse vividly described, abortion, death, loss & grief, bad parenting, defamation of character, experiencing a Hurricane, colorism and racial bias

Tilla’s story is one that resonated with me in ways I didn’t imagine. While my dad was never as emotionally disconnected as Tilla’s he still left our family to lead a different life. That hit home with me and her experience wondering why she wasn’t good enough for her father. This book also reminded me of the summer I spent in Cuba when I was 16, my first time returning after having emigrated to the United States. My experience there was similar to Tilla’s in terms of a summer fling and some culture shock. It’s interesting to be in your motherland and feel so disconnected from it that you start to really wonder where you belong.

Though this book was far more dramatic and climactic than my life, it hit close to my heart and I will treasure it forever. Also listening to patois on audiobook was an amazing experience and I was amazed at how much of it I naturally understood. Sometimes I was like, “Tilla, come on, that phrase is easy to understand!” But maybe that’s just me 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

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