Sunburn
Exclusive American Edition with Additional Material
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4.7 • 28 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Tackling topics of queer identity, teenage angst, and religious guilt, this romantic novel burns with the intensity and yearning of first love." — Harper's Bazaar
THE INDIE BESTSELLER, with additional exclusive content inside.
For fans of Normal People, a queer, coming-of-age debut of impossible first love, first loss, and first heartbreak…
It’s the early 1990’s in the small town of Crossmore, Ireland, and Lucy knows what she’s expected to do. Fall in love with the son of the farmer next door, marry him, pray for children, and never, under any circumstances reveal the truth–that she doesn’t think marriage or motherhood or staying in Crossmore is for her. That the reason she knows this, is because of her close friend, Susannah.
For years, Lucy buries her obsession, until one summer, right before graduation, when her friendship with Susannah escalates. Now, Lucy will do anything to keep their secret safe. Their relationship is both the best and worst thing that’s ever happened to her–Lucy loves Susannah, but every day, it feels like Crossmore, Lucy’s mother, and their social mores are closing in. And when Susannah decides she no longer wants to hide, Lucy must make a devastating choice.
Tender and heartbreaking, Sunburn portrays the realities of growing up in a small rural town–from the long, hot summers, to the pressures of a conservative, traditional community where everyone knows each other’s business. It’ll leave you aching for your own first love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The ecstasy and devastation of first love illuminate this tender debut from Howarth. It begins in 1989 with narrator Lucy, 15, reflecting on life during summer break in her small town of Crossmore, Ireland: "I spend my days waiting for something to happen." She passes her time with a group of girls she doesn't especially like, and who make her feel like an outsider. Lucy, however, has a secret: She's in love with Susannah, a "dazzling" member of her friend group. When, against all odds, Susannah returns her feelings two years later, Lucy believes her life has "finally started." But in conservative Crossmore, their relationship isn't just taboo, it can't exist. To quell suspicions, Lucy pretends to return the affections of her longtime admirer and best friend, Martin. Susannah, however, is done with living "in secret" and compels Lucy to make a devastating choice the following summer. Howarth's wrenching and beautifully written bildungsroman captures Lucy's slow and then suddenly fast journey into adulthood as she tries to find where she belongs. It's enchanting.
