The Melancholy of Summer

Ages 14 to 18

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 left her behind when they went on the run after being accused of committing a crime last year. But she’s fine. She just has to turn eighteen in a few weeks and then she’ll really and truly be free to do whatever she wants.

So it’s extra annoying when a nosy social worker gets involved. Summer doesn’t expect her to find any relative, so she’s very surprised to hear that she’ll be living with her cousin Olu—someone she hasn’t seen in years, who’s only a year older, and who’s a famous singer in Japan last she heard.

Life with Olu is awkward for many reasons. But with her cousin and friends' efforts, maybe Summer can learn to open up again?

About the Author

Louisa Onomé is the Nigerian Canadian author of critically acclaimed young adult novel Like Home. 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. louisaonome.com