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A review by utopiastateofmind
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: rape (SC), assault
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is one of those books that hollowed me out. Lou's story focuses on her unraveling the mystery of her own past. The truths about her absent father. And the ways the secrets of her mother influences her present. I loved Lou's family. They're messy, complex, and flawed. They support each other, tease each other, and lie to each other. Lou's struggles to un-weave their omissions and whispered conversations. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it's definitely one of the main reasons I love this book.
At the same time, the racism she deals with in her town turned my stomach. It made me tear up. The ways that racism takes the form of insults and hate crimes, but also in friends who say nothing. Who associate with the guilty and change nothing. It takes root in insidious comments. In the comments an employee makes, the ways they follow you. And also in the large scale racism the government employs to take children away. It's a fact of Lou's life.
TW: rape (SC), assault
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is one of those books that hollowed me out. Lou's story focuses on her unraveling the mystery of her own past. The truths about her absent father. And the ways the secrets of her mother influences her present. I loved Lou's family. They're messy, complex, and flawed. They support each other, tease each other, and lie to each other. Lou's struggles to un-weave their omissions and whispered conversations. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it's definitely one of the main reasons I love this book.
At the same time, the racism she deals with in her town turned my stomach. It made me tear up. The ways that racism takes the form of insults and hate crimes, but also in friends who say nothing. Who associate with the guilty and change nothing. It takes root in insidious comments. In the comments an employee makes, the ways they follow you. And also in the large scale racism the government employs to take children away. It's a fact of Lou's life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Racism