‘The summer I turned thirteen, I thought I’d killed a man’
It’s the middle of a hot summer in the southern states of America, Jessilyn’s only concerns are the idiotic boys that her mother invited to her thirteenth birthday party and how to make the mysterious new worker her Daddy employed fall in love with her. Although Jessilyn knows the summer won’t bring her any joy nobody could describe the heartache the summer will bring. After her best friends parents die in a horrific fire he father decides to take in the young girl, something any respectable man would do, right? Wrong. The child is a young African American girl called Gemma, who with nowhere else to go welcomes Jessilyn’s fathers offer. Unfortunately this creates outrage in Jessilyn’s small town as people are disgusted at the decision to treat a young black girl the same as his white daughter. It is through Jessilyn’s eyes we see the vile nature of southern racism at its height.
For a debut novel I found Valent to have a true talent. There were no big loopholes in the plot and everything seemed to blend together seamlessly. The characters did come alive and with her vivid descriptions of the southern heat and scenery it was easy to imagine the world he had created. I found Jessilyn to be a great character, she wasn’t too mature and out to make a difference she was just a normal young girl thrown into chaos. The novel did remind me somewhat of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and in some ways I thought it was even better. For example after all of the novels I have read that are based around this time it is the only novel to show the true extent and horror of the Klu Klux Klan. It shows these disgusting cowards for what they are, liars, murderers and hypocrites. It also shows the extent of what the groups would do at the time. I know from previous research on the topic how ruthless the KKK could be. Thousands upon thousands of African Americans were murdered every single day many of these were children as this didn’t matter as they claimed it was their ‘duty’. It is Jessilyn’s courage and spunk that enables her to be able to defend both herself and Gemma when they face horrific violence. It must be pointed out however that the family themselves are not completely angelic and selfless. Although Jessilyn’s father does not care about the towns perceptions of him and only wants to do what is right, her mother is not as eager to displease her neighbours and become the talk of the town. It is in this scenario that we can see both sides, the family wants to do the right thing but they are punished for it as if they are traitors. In light of this the novel does have a fair bit of humour even in the darkest of times. Valent has made sure to show normal everyday life for a family in this situation meaning that despite the terrible prejudice they face, there are also times where they can laugh together.
Overall I found the novel to be a brilliant read and would gladly pass this on to any of my friends. I have given this 4 stars, not because there is anything missing it is just my view that perhaps the ending could have been a little different or maybe we could have had an epilogue a little while after to show any change in the town. I definitely think that this novel should be taught in schools to highlight the ruthlessness of the KKK and the hardships faced by those having to live in these circumstances . In this instance Valent has achieved something rare, she has dared to show reality, something which many are too scared to do.
Review by Chloe Metzger
The little bookworm 