Speaking of Summer

In the spirit of Maria Hummel's Still Lives and Megan Abbott's Give Me Your Hand comes a thrilling new page-turner by an award-winning writer of colorSpeaking of Summer is a psychological thriller about a young woman in Harlem whose twin sister goes missing from the roof of their building. But the door to the roof was locked, and no footprints were found. She sets about searching for her, dealing with her aching loss, and thus begins the novel's examination: What does it mean to be a strong woman of color? What does it mean to be alone in a city, the world? How much does the past influence our decisions today?After becoming the first person in her family to get a college degree, from the University of Chicago, Kalisha Buckhanon was set for grad school and law school before encountering Push by Sapphire. Kalisha reversed course and studied with Sapphire, obtaining her MFA from the New School.With her first novel, Upstate, Essence Magazine named Kalisha as one of Three Writers to Watch.Praise from Booksellers:After her sister Summer up and disappears one winter night in New York City, Autumn Spencer is consumed by her sister's disappearance. Autumn is no stranger to true crime, surrounding herself with information about violence against women in order to protect herself and her sister in the big city, but Summer's vulnerability and disappearance leaves Autumn spinning and frantic for answers, her guilt compounded by the fact that she's fallen in love with her sister's boyfriend. In a country where the treatment of African Americans, and particularly the disappearances of African American women, are often overlooked and ignored, Autumn is determined to make waves and force the NYPD to pay attention regardless of the personal toll it takes on her. Kalisha Buckhanon perfectly intertwines the best of the literary fiction and mystery genres in order to create a compelling narrative on the intersections of crime, race, gender, and personal freedom in modern America. With each chapter, the pace quickens, and Buckhanon's writing will have you racing to the end. -Morgan McComb, The Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS)Imagine you have a twin sister (like Autumn does). Now imagine one day she walked up to the roof of your apartment building and, well . . . disappeared. Locked roof door and one set of footprints notwithstanding, there's not much interest in finding her, at least from official ranks. So it's up to Autumn to find Summer. This is no typical amateur sleuth. Autumn is a normal woman who would rather avoid danger, but she has no choice. I love her dedication to her sister and the mystery of her disappearance. This is a thriller written in such beautiful, compelling language that you won't want it to stop. -Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore (Spokane, WA)