The Melancholy of Summer - Hardcover

by Louisa Onomé (Author)

After her parents go on the run, a teenage girl placed in the care of a cousin she barely knows learns to trust and open up in The Melancholy of Summer, a lyrical YA contemporary coming-of-age story by Louisa Onomé

Doesn't she see? I can do this on my own.

Summer Uzoma is fine. Sure, her parents went on the run after they were accused of committing a crime, leaving her behind. Sure, she's been alternating stays with her friends' families. Sure, she sometimes still secretly visits her old home. And sure, she has trouble talking about any of this. But she's fine. She has her skateboard and her bus pass. She just has to turn eighteen in a few weeks and then she'll really and truly be free.

So it's extra annoying when a nosy social worker gets involved. Summer doesn't expect any relative to be able to take her in, so she's very surprised to hear that she'll now be living with her cousin Olu--someone she hasn't seen in years, who's a famous singer in Japan last she heard, and who's not much older than Summer.

Life with Olu is awkward for many reasons--not least of all because Olu has her own drama to deal with. But with her cousin and friends' efforts, maybe Summer can learn to trust people enough to let them in again?

Author Biography

Louisa Onomé is the Nigerian Canadian author of critically acclaimed young adult novel Like Home as well as coming-of-age novel Twice as Perfect. She holds a BA in professional writing from York University. When she is not writing, her hobbies include picking up languages she may never use, crying over her favorite video games, and perfecting her skin-care routine. She currently resides in the Toronto area.