Summer

The final instalment of Ali Smith’s celebrated Seasonal Quartet, Summer is a vibrant, polyphonic novel capturing the tumult of 2020 — from Brexit to the pandemic to the refugee crisis. Smith blends historical reflection with contemporary urgency, weaving connections between past and present. Her prose is inventive, playful, and compassionate, celebrating human resilience even amid political turmoil. The novel’s structure mirrors the chaos and interconnectedness of the moment, offering clarity through art. Smith’s work is as hopeful as it is incisive, reminding readers of the possibility of renewal.