Sunburn. Chloe Michelle Howarth. 2023.
Debut. Coming-of-age. Queer fiction. Literary fiction. Lesbian literature.
A young woman in rural Ireland experiences a sudden shift of perspective when she stumbles into an unexpected and intense secret summer romance with her friend Susannah.
Voice, in this novel, is the story’s strongest attribute. It starts where the character starts: Irish, rural, and habitually conservative. Then it shifts as the protagonist shifts, learning who she is as she comes of age in the 1990s.
The vibe is authentically Irish and teen. Much of the story takes place during the summer, so the reader feels like they are hanging out with their friends in the park while the sun sets slowly behind the monkey bars.
This book surprised me. I was waiting for V. E. Schwab’s Vengeful (still am) and saw that this one was available. It was short, so I picked it up to fill the time. What a grand accident that turned out to be. It’s one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year.
AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more on my website.
REMINDER – If you follow my reviews, you already know this. I have a policy about reviewing debut novels. Provided I finish them, I always rate debut novels with maximum stars, regardless. When I don’t finish a debut novel, I don’t review it. No exceptions. And I don’t review books I don’t pay full price for.