The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Ice cream is a delicious summer staple. From the ice cream trucks to the walk up windows, you can get ice cream everywhere. In Jen Ferguson’s YA novel The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, not only did I gain a greater appreciation for ice cream, but also the lives of Black, Indigenous and Persons of colour living in the Prairies.
Lou has a lot going on the summer between the end of high school and the start of university. She’s spending the summer working at the family creamery and getting ready to head to the University of Alberta to pursue a paleontology degree. When an old friend returns to town and a person Lou would sooner forget insinuates themselves into her life, she is thrown into turmoil and the summer becomes more about survival.
Jen Ferguson gently holds readers throughout the story. It is devastating at times and intensely anxiety inducing but right from the start she includes a couple of notes to the reader, one briefly describing how Lou’s story evolved and the next as a warning, describing some of the more traumatic events the reader is about to read and making sure that they are ready to start. It was so incredibly generous to start the book in such a way and something that this reader would love to see more of in teen and YA stories especially.
Throughout the story Lou faces obstacle after obstacle and like a typical teenager, feels the need to face everything alone until the dam breaks and she has no choice but to confide in her friends. There are discussions of intimate partner violence, racism, sexual assault, mental health, and colonialism. It can be overwhelming at times so the warning ahead of the story really helps readers pace themselves and process as they go.
I haven’t read many stories set in the Prairies and at times I can get caught up in the urban Ontario space I occupy. While not by any means perfect, I live in a place that has a lot of diversity which is welcomed and celebrated. I forget there are still parts of this country that have an open hate for difference. Some scenes were shocking and eye opening, reflecting the immense amount of work that is still needed in this country. I appreciated the ability to reflect on what life must be like for young indigenous women across the country, especially reading this story over MMIWG day of reflection. For many people, Canada is not a safe place.
It is refreshing to have a story based around a character who is asexual or ace. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is the first story I have read that includes an ace character and I know this inclusion will make so many readers feel seen and validated. The open dialogue between characters about sexuality and the different ways we express that sexuality is gentle and kind. Lou spends the story thinking she is defective because of the way she came into the world. To have a trusted character ease her anxiety and explain the spectrum in a thoughtful and educated way is memorable.
Jen Ferguson does not leave the readers devoid of hope for the future. Although the subject matter is traumatic and there are still questions about how Lou will move forward at the end, there is still love, family, friendship and community leaving this reader feeling like there is still hope for things to change, to improve, as long as we put in the work.
