by William Rayfet Hunter
This is one of those slowly unravelling books – it starts with decadence, desire and a playful summer lightness, before descending into the complexities of class, privilege and family trauma. The first half of Sunstruck has a vivid, honeyed setting, which I felt as mesmerised by as the protagonist does. The second half of the novel uncovers what’s beneath this dreamlike beauty, and slowly the characters’ relationships with each other and with the world are untangled and laid bare.
The protagonist, whose name we never learn, grew up with his Jamaican grandma and mum in Manchester, and now lives in London. His two best friends, Lily and Jazz, seem to be playing a game of tug-of-war with him – the two of them are polar opposites. Lily is rich, innocent and carefree, while Jazz is a fierce and community-minded activist. Our protagonist’s decision to go to Lily’s family house in France for the summer, instead of staying in London with Jazz, triggers a concerning sequence of events. He develops an intense connection with Lily’s brother, Felix, and is all too willing to let himself be sucked into Felix’s seductive hedonism.
A meandering, dreamy, yet solid and political novel: I found myself very much immersed in the world of Sunstruck and will definitely be reading whatever Hunter writes next.
Review by Jamie