A powerful story that will engage readers.
A teen in Accra takes a job in a wealthy household and finds the courage to speak up after she is sexually assaulted in this contemporary novel by a noted Ghanaian author.
Sixteen-year-old Amerley has dropped out of school and assumed the role of caretaker for her younger sisters due to her fisherman father’s absence and mother’s refusal to face their dire situation. The family is on the verge of eviction, and Amerley’s sewing skills bring in some income, although her dream of becoming an apprentice seamstress is out of reach financially. Her best friend, Sheba, and boyfriend, Nikoi, are also struggling, although Nikoi offers her family a temporary reprieve on rent with funds he had saved toward her apprenticeship. Then Rosina, her mother’s wealthy friend, offers to give Amerley a domestic position in her household, pay her sisters’ school fees, and support Amerley’s apprenticeship in two years’ time. Despite Amerley’s reluctance to leave home, her mother is insistent. Rosina’s gated luxurious dwelling is unlike anything Amerley has ever experienced, but the opulence masks serious family issues—and she is raped by a member of the family. Against overwhelming pressure to keep silent, Amerley testifies in court, becoming a beacon of hope for countless others who have endured rape and abuse. Amerley is a strong, well-drawn character surrounded by a complex supporting cast. The narrative is rich in cultural detail and universal in its themes of resilience and integrity.
A powerful story that will engage readers. (glossary) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-324-01711-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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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