The Summer Prince

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Staff Pick

In a futuristic Brazilian city where dancing and danger are often the same thing, a glowing protagonist is tangled up in art, rebellion, and charming young men with tragic fates. The near-instant total immersion of this book left me dazzled by Johnson's storytelling.
Recommended by The Dot, Powell's Books on Hawthorne

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mariko18, February 20, 2013 (view all comments by mariko18)
Alaya Dawn Johnson's "The Summer Prince" is a contemporary work that evokes the quality of classic science fiction that the genre has lost in a quagmire of space operas and dystopic battle-royales. It posits a future that is easily imaginable given the state of contemporary technology and society, and explores the inherent dangers, not in technology itself, but in how humans might (mis)use it. Consequently it becomes a gripping analysis of human nature, life, power, and the sociopolitical workings of the world. A world that takes for granted the fluid nature of sexuality, explores the pitfalls of chasing immortality, assisted suicide, the convergence of ritual and technology, the balance of power and mutual disrespect between youth and extreme age-"Summer Prince" has it all.

Yet at its heart, "Summer Prince" is the story of one girl's tumultuous journey towards maturity and her relationship with those she loves. June Costa is a girl with a mission, who wants to do what's right but is navigating the pitfalls and inherent narcissism that results from being a teenager. June is deeply reflective about the outside world, but is still learning how to be introspective. This allows her to grow. If Johnson hadn't written her questioning her own obsession with winning the Queen's Prize, it might have felt contrived: Her desire for the prize is completely irrational. But desire is irrational. June knows continuing to chase this prize after she's learned how corrupt the system is and her thirst for public recognition wanes, is illogical, but her inability to let go in spite of that is painfully realistic. Her relationship with her family and the slow revelation of the events surrounding her father's death are among the most compelling parts of the novel. Her friendship with Gil is delightfully deep. Though they drift apart whenever they get caught up in their own personal nonsense, they always find their way back to each other. June's growing friendship with Enki is also strong, and despite June's descriptions of how he affects her physically, feels more like an intellectual love affair than a romance. They understand each other on a fundamental, even primal level, akin to two missiles on an inescapable collision course: When they hit the explosion will change the world.

Reviews describe June’s relationship with Gil and Enki as a love triangle, yet calling it such feels reductive. While it might have been more interesting if sex hadn't entered into the equation on the Enki/June side, Johnson creates a complex, layered and deeply nuanced emotional relationship between these three characters that is immensely compelling. The love that holds it together is varied, allowing the novel to explore different kinds of love that are equally powerful and all-consuming. Johnson does not privilege any one variety of love over the others, though the Gil-June and June-Enki sides of the triangle are arguably more fully developed. June, the central and narrating character, is naturally more knowledgeable and concerned about her relationship with Gil and Enki than their relationship with each other. Still, Enki and Gil's love for one another captivates Palmares Tres and pervades the story.

Johnson's colorful and multi-dimensional cast of supporting characters, intriguing narrative structure, and vivid prose complete a novel that is as evocative (perhaps even provocative) as it is captivating. This is without a doubt her best novel to date.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780545417792

Author:

Johnson, Alaya Dawn

Publisher:

Arthur A. Levine Books

Subject:

Children s Young Adult-Social Issue Fiction

Copyright:

2013

Edition Description:

Hardcover

Publication Date:

20130331

Binding:

HARDCOVER

Grade Level:

from 9

Language:

English

Pages:

304

Dimensions:

8.25 x 5.5 in

Age Level:

14