Draft:Every Summer After
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Every Summer After is a 2022 young adult-fiction novel by author C. Fortune, first published in 2022 by Penguin Random House. It's the first project of three in the Every Summer After series. It discusses themes such as love, grief and the nature of memories, loosely based on Fortune's own childhood experiences. Every Summer After follows Percy and Sam, childhood friends who spend summers together in a lakeside town and gradually fall in love.
Plot
[edit]"Every summer after" by Carley Fortune follows the story of Persephone "Percy" Sinclair, who reflects on her former summers spent at her family´s lake house in a small town in Canada. The narrative alternates between Percy's past and present, shifting between her teenage years and her adulthood. The story begins with Percy as an adult, receiving the news that Sam's mother has passed away. This makes her return to the lake for the first time since she cut ties with Sam over a decade ago. The trip forces Percy to confront the unresolved emotions tied to her past with Sam and the choices that led them apart. Her return awakens a rush of old memories, tracing back to when she first met Sam as a teenager and how their close friendship turned into a deep romance.
In the flashbacks, Percy and her family spend each summer at a cottage near the Florek's lake house. Percy quickly becomes friends with Sam, who is her age and shares her love for books. Through the summer, their connection strengthens and develops into something unique. Percy also grows close to Sam's older brother, Charlie, and their mother, Sue, who becomes a mother figure to Percy. This "chosen family" and the peaceful lake setting become Percy's escape and safe place, a clear contrast to her life in Toronto.
As teenagers, Percy and Sam experience the highs and lows of first love. Their feelings blossom in their late teens, turning into a passionate and intense romance. However, both are also weighted down by insecurities, misunderstandings and the decisions of adulthood. Their relationship takes a devastating turn one summer, when Percy in confusion makes a mistake that leads to a falling-out with Sam. She betrays his trust by having a brief fling with Charlie. The betrayal shatters Sam, and Percy leaves the lake without looking back, carrying deep regret and guilt.
In the present timeline, Percy is forced to confront unresolved feelings connected to Sam and the lake. Years later, she returns to the lakeside town to pay respect to Sue, and finds herself face to face with Sam for the first time in a decade. Their strong connection remains, and is given time to heal.
Major themes
[edit]Every Summer After depicts how first love can leave a significant mark. Percy and Sam's teenage romance is etched into who they are, shaping their future choices and relationships even after years of separation. Their bond represents a deep connection and a sense of belonging unlike any other they experience. Fortune shows how first love stays with people, for better or worse, often becoming a measure against which other relationships are judged. The novel suggests that although people grow and change, some relationships are hard to fully leave behind.
Forgiveness in Every Summer After isn't portrayed as a simple process but as a journey of understanding and acceptance. After a painful mistake, Percy's guilt weighs her down, making her doubt if Sam—or even she herself—can truly forgive. Returning to Barry's Bay forces Percy and Sam to confront their wounds and learn that forgiveness takes time. Fortune captures the mental strength needed to seek and earn forgiveness, showing it as a crucial, challenging step toward healing that isn't guaranteed but is worth working for.
Genre and style
[edit]Every Summer After by Carley Fortune is a contemporary romance novel that discusses themes of coming-of-age and women's fiction. Set in the nostalgic environment of a lakeside town, the novel alternates between past and present, showing the importance of change in a character, in this case Percy and Sam. Themes of forgiveness, nostalgia, and settlement are central to the narrative.
Development history
[edit]In an interview with Thoughts from a Page Podcast,[1] Fortune tells us that the inspiration for the book comes from her own upbringing at Barry's Bay. "I've always felt some kind of pull to the lake", she tells us. Additionally, in an interview made by The Book Kit,[2] Fortune has mentioned that she wrote the book during the Covid Pandemic after finding her old journals, a time when many people were looking back on the past and experiencing a sense of longing for earlier, simpler times. Writing Every Summer After allowed her to process these feelings and turn them into a work of her own.
Publication history
[edit]Every Summer After, Carley Fortune's debut novel, was published on May 10, 2022, by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The book quickly became a bestseller . Upon its release, Every Summer After received praise for its detailed storytelling and was featured on several summer reading lists. The book also gained recognition on social media platforms like TikTok, where it was recommended in the "BookTok" community. This added to its popularity amongst younger readers.
Literary significance
[edit]Every Summer Ater received mostly positive criticism, being highlighted for its magnificent take on how teenage experience can look like. The novel's praise from Emily Henry, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers[3]is worth mentioning, with her describing it as a "radiant debut."
Awards and nominations
[edit]As of 2024 , Every Summer After by Carley Fortune had not received any major literary awards, but it achieved notable success as a bestselling debut novel in 2022. The book gained significant recognition on bestseller lists, including The New York Times,[4]where it spent 10 weeks on the bestselling list, USA Today, and The Globe and Mail.
References
[edit]- ^ Thoughts from a Page Podcast (2024-02-14). Interview with Carley Fortune - EVERY SUMMER AFTER. Retrieved 2024-12-06 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Every Summer After by Carley Fortune: 9780593438534 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ "EMILY HENRY". EMILY HENRY. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Aug. 28, 2022 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-12-06.