Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher
Summer in Orcus begins with Summer, an average girl with an overbearing single mother, trapped in her backyard. She sees the top of a walking house stroll past the high brick wall that fences her in from the outside world; she knows this because why else would a house be bobbing up and down?
Inside this house is Baba Yaga, who, of course, Summer knows nothing about. So when Baba Yaga invites her to meet inside her massive chicken-footed house through the heavy boarded gate of the bricked enclosureof her backyard, she doesn’t hesitate much at all to agree.
Artistry and Craft
I really love the way T. Kingfisher wrote Summer in Orcus. She had wonderful pacing and creativity that made it an absolute joy to read. On top of this, the plotlines were unpredictable and imaginative, not giving the reader any clues as to what would happen next. She wrote Summer intentionally to be relatable and not completely heroic right out of the gate. Rather, Kingfisher writes Summer as if she really is only eleven, giving the coming-of-age narrative throughout the book more grounding and space for the reader to see Summer grow and learn.
The author makes a point of mentioning Narnia throughout the book, as she was heavily inspired to make Summer in Orcus, her own version of the portal fantasy. This adds an additional element that I feel brings an introspective layer in reflection when comparing their similarities and where they diverge.
Summer in Orcus, the story doesn't hinge or revolve around the world being at stake grandly or intensely; rather, it's a lower-stakes story, with the main draw being the main character's moral development and self-confidence, as well as the found-family aspect between the group of ragtag friends that Summer eventually builds around her.
I loved the little drawings at the beginning of each chapter, as well as the full sketches scattered throughout the book of key scenes in the novel. I thought that they were very well done and added to the charming, storybook-like element of the book.★★★★★
Themes and Messages
A lot of the themes surround growing up, as the main character is a child, only eleven, as well as goodness.
Betrayal is also a huge theme—what different betrayals look like: betrayals out of weakness, betrayals out of hatred, or betrayals out of pure evil. This concept is explored throughout the book, and it's something that Summer grapples with as she experiences betrayal for the first time.
This is also where Summer in Orcus diverges from Narnia. Where Narnia views betrayal as redeemable when the betrayer inwardly reflects and repents, in Summer in Orcus, wrongs are left open-ended and a lot of the time unredeemed, which makes the redemption factor vastly different or even nonexistent most of the time in comparison to Narnia.
With Narnia, a huge part of redemption is seen through a Christian lens of forgiveness. I found it interesting that what Summer in Orcus lacks from the Christian lens, it also projects in its view of goodness and morality. For instance, the main character, Summer, lies on several occasions. But this isn't seen as a fault or something to be corrected, or even something to feel guilty about, but rather something to grow into—to know when lies are appropriate rather than why lies are not good. So the moral framework between Narnia and Summer in Orcus is different in that regard.
I think it matters because in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis's premise of the book is: what if God had multiple worlds that he made and had to redeem that world, what would it look like? Summer in Orcus is fundamentally different, even though it has similarities, like having a main character who is a child or being a portal fantasy with talking animals. In reality, the difference shifts the narrative to a story that fundamentally relies on redemption and restoration to a story that relies on growth, loyalty, and friendships as its moral backing, even when it fails or intentionally leaves out redemption and restoration.
It makes the reaction to betrayal more realistic in a way, but it also makes it more heartbreaking. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is hope for restoration, hope to become better, for healing after failure, but Summer in Orcus, however, is devoid of that same hope and "victory." There are no second chances in Orcus outside of the main character and the personal growth her age allows her. Therefore, even though Summer in Orcus and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are compared and the latter is inspired by the former, they are ultimately incomparable at their core. Their moral structures are fundamentally different, shaped by vastly different views of redemption, growth, and consequence.
Courage is also explored in Summer in Orcus. At the beginning of the book, Summer needs help with courage. But as the book progresses, courage is something that Summer learns and faces despite fear. I really appreciated this because a lot of times, this is how courage is developed, rather than it being innate in most people.
T. Kingfisher points this out herself in her acknowledgments after the book is finished: we never get to hear if Edmund is negatively affected by the bad things he does in Narnia or the bad things that happen to him in Narnia from a mental health point of view, nor do we hear if any other characters are personally affected. T. Kingfisher made it intentional that at the end of the book, Summer did not turn out to be unaffected or fine with all the things that happened to her, like being chased by Grub and so forth. Instead, she makes it realistic of the residual hurt and trauma of what she went through.
There's also the issue of Summer's mom and having to grow up too quickly. A huge theme is Summer having to be an emotionally mature human being well before she becomes an adult because her mother isn't. In that trade-off, unfairness is explored but also presented as an opportunity, that the skills we learn from the unfairness of life can be used to our advantage if we choose to use those skills.★★★★
Final Thoughts
I thought Summer in Orcus was an excellent book. It was charming, imaginative, well-written, and even though slower-paced, very engaging. I would recommend this book to young adults or adults who want a book that has an introspective, self-focused and compassionate view of adolescence, but I would hesitate to recommend this book to young children, as there is some minimal language in it, as well as some minimal references. Even though the main character is eleven, this isn't necessarily a children's story. Overall, this book from me is four stars out of five
Content Discretion:
Minimal language, Minimal LGBTQ references, Mild violence, Gore, Large insects, Fire.
If you’d like to explore more of T. Kingfisher's work, click here.
That's all folks! If you enjoyed the review, feel free to share and or leave a comment below. If you have read Summer in Orcus, do you think there are more similarities to Narina that I missed? I'd love to hear your perspective. ❤❤❤
📬 Stay Updated! I've added a subscription option to my blog’s main page, so you can subscribe and receive email notifications whenever I post. Feel free to check it out 😊
Comments