★ 04/11/2022
Ferguson’s sweetly complex debut centers demisexual Métis Louisa “Lou” Norquay, 18, via an extended ice cream metaphor about life on the Canadian prairie. After Lou’s mother leaves to sell her beadwork at powwows, Lou’s white biological father is released from prison and returns, having served a sentence for the violent sexual assault of Lou’s mother when she was 16. Lou has also just broken up with her aggressive white boyfriend Wyatt, with whom she still has to work at her uncles’ ice cream shop. When her former best friend, King, also returns, her feelings for him initiate a realization that Lou “can’t have sex with him. With anyone.” And just when she thinks things can’t get more difficult, her uncles’ business ends up at risk, and her father’s insistence on making contact takes an even more insidious turn. In a layered first-person portrayal of a young Indigenous woman navigating the edge of adulthood, Ferguson (who is Métis and white) tackles necessary issues—of identity and sexuality alongside colonialism, generational trauma, racism, physical and sexual assault, and substance reliance—through well-wrought, complicated characterizations and prose that sings with poetry: “Summer arrives to the prairies slow—and stays for such a short time.” Ages 13–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (May)
"Debut author Ferguson, who is Métis and White, touches on intergenerational family suffering at the hands of the state, mental health, substance abuse, racism, sexual harassment and assault, and missing and murdered Indigenous women—all with nuance and care. Heart-rending and healing; a winning blend that will leave readers satisfied." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Young adult readers can relate to the struggles Lou is facing as she navigates her transition from high school to college, and also use them as a conversation starter about race, identity, sexuality, dating, and friendship." — Horn Book (starred review)
"In a layered first-person portrayal of a young Indigenous woman navigating the edge of adulthood, Ferguson (who is Métis and white) tackles necessary issues—of identity and sexuality alongside colonialism, generational trauma, racism, physical and sexual assault, and substance reliance—through well-wrought, complicated characterizations and prose that sings with poetry." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Ferguson’s frank and powerful debut opens readers’ eyes to the multiplicity of daily traumas faced by people of color, especially Indigenous women and girls. Ferguson, herself Michif/Métis and white, boldly writes on many challenging topics, including racism, physical violence, sexual identity, sexual assault, and teen alcohol use. Lou is complex, smart, and honest, and a narrator readers will trust, love, and learn from as she works to repair friendships and gain security for her treasured family." — Booklist (starred review)
"Brutally honest about the sexual and physical violence Native women are subjected to, this story deals with a variety of painful topics and their impact on Louise’s friends and family... The honesty and complexity of this book make it a gripping read." — School Library Journal (starred review)
"Like an unexpected tart note swirling through a creamy, cold treat, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet layers the harsh truths and deep connections that thread through a Canadian prairie town....In this heartfelt story, we come to see the complex lives beneath the wide-open landscape. " — Star Tribune
"Ferguson’s frank and powerful debut opens readers’ eyes to the multiplicity of daily traumas faced by people of color, especially Indigenous women and girls. Ferguson, herself Michif/Métis and white, boldly writes on many challenging topics, including racism, physical violence, sexual identity, sexual assault, and teen alcohol use. Lou is complex, smart, and honest, and a narrator readers will trust, love, and learn from as she works to repair friendships and gain security for her treasured family."
Booklist (starred review)
"Young adult readers can relate to the struggles Lou is facing as she navigates her transition from high school to college, and also use them as a conversation starter about race, identity, sexuality, dating, and friendship."
Horn Book (starred review)
★ 09/01/2022
Gr 10 Up— This searing story starts with a trigger warning from the author. Louise, who is Métis, plans to spend the summer after graduation with her mom, uncles, and friends while working at the family's ice cream shack earning money for college. Her mom decides to travel the pow-wow circuit, selling her beaded jewelry. The older white man who raped her mother, resulting in Louise's birth, is released from prison, and is now stalking her. The return of King Nathan, a friend who might want to be more than a friend, but from whom Louise keeps a huge secret, changes her summer. Multiple secrets are revealed over a few months—that Louise first passed as white when she moved to town, that her family may lose their farm, and about an act of revenge all related to the toxic violence of racism and sexism in a small town on the Alberta Prairie. Louise slowly reveals her own secrets, and the ones her family have kept from her. Brutally honest about the sexual and physical violence Native women are subjected to, this story deals with a variety of painful topics and their impact on Louise's friends and family. Each chapter begins with a beaded image from her mother's art and a quote from her uncle's ice cream recipe book. VERDICT The honesty and complexity of this book make it a gripping read; a great first purchase for libraries serving teens.—Tamara Saarinen
★ 2022-03-02
Change is coming for Métis 18-year-old Lou whether she likes it or not. Her mom is away selling her beadwork at powwows, and her uncles are arguing about their ice cream business. She’ll be spending her summer running the Michif Creamery alongside her best friend, Florence, and her coercive newly ex-boyfriend (both White). Former friend King returns to town three years after their falling out, but she can’t decide if she’s ready to rebuild their relationship. When her White biological father is released following his prison sentence for the violent sexual assault of Lou’s mother when she was 16, he begins harassing her and threatening the family business. Lou must decide if she will keep this to herself or seek support in her community. Bisexual Jamaican Canadian King gently helps Lou navigate the intersections of her trauma and her sex repulsion, introducing her to the concepts of asexuality and demisexuality, identities in which she finds clarity and hope. Their tender romance is just one of several kinds of connection and care that are given equal weight by Lou’s compelling first-person narration. Debut author Ferguson, who is Métis and White, touches on intergenerational family suffering at the hands of the state, mental health, substance abuse, racism, sexual harassment and assault, and missing and murdered Indigenous women—all with nuance and care.
Heart-rending and healing; a winning blend that will leave readers satisfied. (content warning, author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)
Julie Lumsden portrays 18-year-old Lou, a biracial Métis. Lumsden’s steady pacing captures the stresses of Lou’s continual encounters with racism, violence, financial insecurity, and the repercussions of the lies she’s told to survive. Lumsden’s performance also reflects Lou’s complex feelings about her wealthy white biological father, who raped her mother. As Lou’s ex-boyfriend pressures her sexually, listeners can hear how close to the edge she is. When a friend named King reenters her life, Lumsden evokes his caring and Lou’s longing for tenderness and honesty. As Lou’s father is released from prison and begins stalking her, Lumsden amplifies the teen’s tension. She also expresses Lou's determination to be free, to understand herself, and to heal. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
Julie Lumsden portrays 18-year-old Lou, a biracial Métis. Lumsden’s steady pacing captures the stresses of Lou’s continual encounters with racism, violence, financial insecurity, and the repercussions of the lies she’s told to survive. Lumsden’s performance also reflects Lou’s complex feelings about her wealthy white biological father, who raped her mother. As Lou’s ex-boyfriend pressures her sexually, listeners can hear how close to the edge she is. When a friend named King reenters her life, Lumsden evokes his caring and Lou’s longing for tenderness and honesty. As Lou’s father is released from prison and begins stalking her, Lumsden amplifies the teen’s tension. She also expresses Lou's determination to be free, to understand herself, and to heal. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
