The last of the seasonal quartet and what a finale. A contemporary novel encompassing the current affairs of 2020 thus far – Brexit, global COVID-19 pandemic, immigration detention centres, homelessness and the murder of George Floyd. These highly topical subjects are all cleverly woven into each of the seemingly separate backstories, that themselves are intriguingly connected. It would be interesting to read an alternative version of Summer if these horrors of 2020 hadn’t occurred. Each of the brilliant quartet novels stands alone, but together they are a masterpiece. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you asked me to describe what Summer was about, I'm not sure I'd be able to - or at least not without writing another novel in response. Ali Smith's prose is almost like free-writing: you never quite know where it's going to take you. And I think Summer might just be her most transportive work yet. The thematic ground she covers is expansive, but her intimate approach through the eyes of several characters makes the experience immediate and real. She has mastered the art of slippage between space and time, tying her themes together with some key characters and motifs. Summer is also very much a novel of the moment, addressing recent and current world events. In many ways, reading it feels a little like opening a time capsule onto summer 2020. But Smith also never loses the context of history, and I hope this means it will age well. Reading Summer captures the daydream feeling of a summer afternoon: "Even while I'm right at the heart of it I just can't get to the heart of it."

And so the excellent seasonal quartet is completed with Summer a time for hope (not hate). Once again Ali Smith considers the state of a country that has struggled with itself since 2016 and now has to face a pandemic. The novel is up to date, as always, even including a reference to the tragic murder of George Floyd. As with all the books in this series Summer it shines a light on our politicians, their incompetence, and their cruel treatment of some of the most vulnerable in our society. The pandemic has highlighted the incompetence of those that wanted to be in a position of power to make money for themselves and their pals. The state institutions that they wanted to destroy, the people who have never been properly valued are now holding this country together. This novel uses many of the characters and themes in previous novels and once again S4A4 a private security firm is there to carry out the governments cruel policies. In Spring we read about the Immigration Removal Centres and in Summer we learn about the migrant camps in the 1940s which included Jewish German migrants. We learn about Einstein spending time in Norfolk. Having completed the series I will now return to the beginning and read all four books again as I feel there. are so many links and connections that reading the four novels as one, rather than separately, will help me connect the different threads. Summer is the final book in an excellent series. All four books are highly recommended.

This is a brilliant ending to this quartet, and I cannot believe how quickly Ali Smith has written these, and smoothly incorporated recent events. I have only read Autumn previously, which I found a bit heavy-going, but I can see the same themes of remembering the past and linking it to today's political situation in Britain. In Summer, a family is split by their political opinions and ages - the divorced parents voted leave and remain, the brother is nihilistic and keen to wind others up through taking provocative viewpoints on sexism and racism, and the sister is an idealistic environmentalist. However, each of the characters grows and changes, and we see why they hold their views. The catalyst is meeting a couple who are taking a trip to the seaside to meet Daniel, a 104 year old who reminisces about his time being interned as an undesirable alien during the second world war. There are many threads to the story but they come together very satisfactorily.

I read it as soon as It came out and the optimistic tone at the end made me cry ( out of joy ) . It is a wonderful way to close this quartet that has accompanied us through some rough years in the UK and the world.