THE SUMMER THAT MELTED EVERYTHING

by Tiffany McDaniel

I picked up this debut novel up because it was on The Skimm’s must-read list.  I’m beginning to think that as much as I enjoy reading The Skimm each morning when I wake up, the editors’ taste in novels and mine may differ dramatically.  (The Skimm editors are 30-somethings.  Have I been kidding myself?)  The book’s premise is intriguing.  A young prosecuting attorney in Breathed, Ohio takes out an ad in the local newspaper inviting the devil to come visit the town.   (Why?  So that he can confront evil face-to-face.)  Shortly thereafter, 13-year-old, scrawny, homeless Sal shows up in town and the prosecutor takes him into his home as he looks for his parents. Even as Sal and the prosecutor’s son become as close as brothers in a true coming-of-age story, residents of Breathed attribute everything that goes wrong in town that summer to Sal.  And plenty of things go wrong.
 
What I found unenjoyable about the book was the way it unfolds like one, long nightmare.  Sal is black and race plays into much of what happens.  So many scenes made me cringe – culminating in the book’s climax, where Sal is literally burned at the stake.  For sure The  Summer That Melted…  overflows with symbolism and important messages about the times in which we live. And maybe the author accomplished exactly what she set out to accomplish.  But this book left me hollowed out and depressed.  It was definitely not my cup of tea. (Liz)