Summer by Ali Smith (Seasonal Quartet #4)

Summer by Ali Smith (Seasonal Quartet #4)

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Summer is the final novel, and stunning conclusion, of Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet. I absolutely loved this book. Once again Ali Smith points to the past, to art, the hidden present and to the nature of people and says: Look, the answers are all around us.

In these reviews I always talk about how much I’m enjoying reading the Quartet seasonally, and this was especially true for Summer. I read this book through the heatwave that stretched over June and July. The long and hazy days that drift through the pages of this book surrounded me. Baked golden fields flying past the train window, sunlight dappling through the trees in the park, everything around me both brought me deeper into the book, and drew the story further out. A particular moment that stays with me is my experience reading the final passages where the ongoing motif of the swift comes to full fruition. A flock of swifts, or as I’ve learned can also be called a swoop of swifts which is exceptionally lovely, was swirling and dashing in the sky above me. I’ve always liked swifts but for some reason they’ve been particularly endearing to me this year. This moment, with the swifts both on the page and in the sky was one of the most beautiful reading experiences I’ve had for a long time.

All the Seasonal Quartet books, and Summer is no different, they always spur me on to do further research. Often through the history mentioned or referenced, but for me the real inspiration lies in Ali Smith’s discussions of art. She has such a vivid and impassioned way of describing art, which is in my opinion, a testament to her writing skills. To be able to capture the essence of a visual medium like that in words is really incredible. In Summer, the work of Lorenza Mazzetti features heavily and it was such a joy to be able to access one artist through the eyes of another. There is something truly special and unique about the way Ali Smith weaves art into these books. I wonder if the art comes first and sparks ideas, or if the story comes and the art follows.

I really enjoyed the return of and reference to other characters from the previous seasonal books. I don’t want to give any spoilers of who appears but I will say I found it a very interesting choice as they were some of the characters I felt the least connected to on initially reading their stories. So it was very enlightening to see them revisited in different circumstances and different aspects of their characters explored. In terms of the new characters introduced, I found the relationship between young siblings Sacha and Robert to be a fitting allegory for the next generation. Sacha and Robert have opposing but equally passionate beliefs. Sacha is petrified for what the future may hold, she is furious with all the adults and their lack of care for the climate catastrophe. The injustice and prejudice she sees all around disgusts her. Sacha believes that her generation has the power to change if they all actually do something. Robert on the other hand harbours some strange beliefs. At times, he expresses thoughts and ideas that lean towards the far right and the manosphere and seems to exemplify the early stages on someone slipping into a truly hateful mindset. Yet at other times, he seems to come back, to be merely playing devil’s advocate or to show signs of being eager to please, embarrassed and self conscious. I really admire the way Ali Smith is able to draw out the humanity in people and offer reassurance that inside everyone, somewhere, is humanity and something to connect to.

There are so many beautiful lines and lessons but these two are perhaps the most potent;

“history’s made it clear what happens when we’re indifferent, and what the consequences are of the political cultivation of indifference”

“I have a vision that if you were to open a swift, metaphorically of course, the rolled up message they carry inside them is the unfurled word S U M M E R.”

I have read and briefly reviewed Autumn in my Best Books of 2024 post here but I am so excited to revisit it and give it a dedicated blog post. That, along with Companion Piece, will be the final instalment to my wee Seasonal Quartet seasonal read along. Autumn is actually the first book in the series so if you have never read them before or haven’t read them seasonally before I cannot recommend doing it enough! This Autumn would be the perfect time to start this wee project. Let me know if you’re planning to do this I’d love to know how your experience compares.

Love, Grace xx