Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heatwave scorched the small town of Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Local prosecutor Autopsy Bliss publishes an invitation to the devil to come to the country town of Breathed, Ohio. Not only did everyone think he wouldn't show up, but they never expected he would be a bruised 13 year old boy. Fielding, the son of Autopsy, finds the boy outside the courthouse and brings him home. Thinking he is a runaway, they welcome him in until they can figure out where he has come from. Sal, brings with him a heatwave as well as a string of terrible things that happen in town. Is he really the devil?

I know that a lot of people loved this book, but it just wasn't for me. The writing was well done and the characters well drawn, but the story itself, with all the terrible things that happened just hit me the wrong way. The blurb says it is a book about community, redemption, and the dark places where evil really lies, and I guess it was that, but I ended up skimming a lot of this one. For that reason, I did not want to rate the book, but had to in order to post this review to Amazon. It is the subject matter, not the writing that I didn't really enjoy. As all book reviews are subjective, if this idea appeals to you, I invite you to give it a try or read other reviews as it might just be one you will enjoy.

This is one of those books I needed a few days to think about after reading before I could write a review. I also have to wonder if my reaction to it may have be different if I'd read a paper copy instead of an e-book. I tend to read paper books in bigger chunks than e-books and this may have been a book that needed to be read over a short period of time, rather than in snatches on public transport.

I was expecting this to be a YA book. It isn't, and that's probably an important thing to know going in.

One day a man invites the devil to visit his small town in a public notice in the local newspaper. When the devil accepts, he’s a thirteen-year-old black boy named Sal, and as soon as he turns up in town, the temperature rises and any number of horrific events start taking place.

The big question the book asks is whether these horrific events are actually the fault of the ‘devil’ or of someone else. The town is certainly quick to blame Sal because he's different, but can a scrawny kid really be responsible?

It’s gorgeously written. The descriptions of the town suffering under the intensity of a heat wave are so evocative I found myself wiping sweat from my brow even when reading it outdoors in the middle of winter. The character descriptions are equally beautiful and the people in the book just surge from the page as fully formed human beings.

That said, I never truly engaged with the characters and didn’t feel for or with them in any really meaningful way. It’s almost like the beauty of the language distanced me from the people and events playing out on the page.

That and the fact the story takes place over two time periods, one where an old man Fielding looks back at his life and one where Fielding is a child. I found it difficult to reconcile the older versions of Fielding with the child we’re with for the bulk of the book.

I realize people change as they grow older, but there seemed to be nothing left of the child Fielding in any of the grown men we’re allowed access to through the old man’s memories. And I didn't like who Fielding became, It's like he gave up on life and decided just to drift through it rather than deciding what he wanted out of it and going for it. The younger Fielding wasn't like that at all. Maybe the devil took his ambition when he left….

The other thing about the time shift is that the devil arrives in Breathed in 1984. The old man looking back is in his eighties, so around 60 - 70 years has passed since that summer, yet the world Fielding lives in now doesn't look or feel any different than the world we live in today. His home is a trailer that doesn't appear to be any different to a trailer one would find in a trailer park today. No historical events are referenced in the past, so it's difficult to remember that this story is being narrated from the future.

It’s a shame I didn’t engage more fully with this book because the themes and ideas are important ones and ones I usually feel very strongly about: racism, intolerance, homophobia, mental illness and more. But I would still recommend it because of the beauty of the language and the sensory descriptions. If I’d had a highlighter beside me, I can guarantee there would be passages underlined on almost every page.

McDaniel’s debut novel left me with all kinds of emotions, from happiness to heartbreak, from beginning to end. It explored themes such as innocence, love, loss, homosexuality, prejudice, racism, the stupidity of the mass, propaganda…Each character brought something to the story and made it complete, even the antagonist. Why would (or could) anyone empathize with the villain? And yet, each character’s past defined who they became and the reason behind their actions.

There are many passages in the book that simply cannot be forgotten or ignored. They make you think but most of all, feel.

“People always ask, Why does God allow suffering? Why does He allow a child to be beaten? A woman to cry? A holocaust to happen? A good dog to die painfully? Simple truth is, He wants to see for Himself what we’ll do. He’s stood up the candle, put the devil at the wick, and now He wants to see if we blow it out or let it burn down. God is suffering’s biggest spectator.” (Chapter 9)

“One day I said Mary and then I said something else, I know I did, but ended it all with me. She thought I’d said marry me. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that wasn’t what was said at all. She was just so excited. I thought, hell, this girl really wants to marry me. Why not give it a try? Maybe her love would be enough to paradise the hell. But then I realized, I couldn’t use her like that. Like a shield in the fray. She deserved to marry a man who loved her for all the things she was and not for all the armor she could be.” (Chapter 13)

“You know why I love the sky, Fielding? Because it makes everyone short. There isn’t a man tall enough to ever look down on the sky. The sky makes everyone look up, and in that, it makes everyone me.” (Chapter 20)

The author had asked me to review her novel last summer and provided me with an electronic copy. Though it took me several months to read it, I would have done so in a single sitting if it wasn’t for work, school, more work, and other distractions. I simply adore this book and cannot help but talk about it to everyone that asks me for a recommendation. Not only did I vote for McDaniel’s novel for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards, but I also cast my vote for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize. When I finished reading it on my Kindle, I bought myself a hard copy so that I could hug it better (and I’m not even kidding! I physically hug my books.)

Quite frankly even though my TBR list is getting longer and longer, I want to read The Summer that Melted Everything again just to relive the beautiful writing of McDaniel and the story of Fielding and Sal.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

I recently read Betty and while I did not love it, I enjoyed McDaniel's writing so I do plan to read the Summer That Melted Everything at some point in time,

I LOVED this book. It had so much to say about love, and love that comes too slowly or too late. There was even more with respect to how we treat other people and other living things who are not just like us or who are not on our "approved" lists of acceptable appearances, personalities, beliefs, etc.

It's said that you should be careful what you wish for because you just may get it. It's the summer of 1984 and Autopsy Bliss places a full page ad in the local newspaper inviting the devil to the small town of Breathed, Ohio. Autopsy, from the word autopsia which in Greek means "to see for oneself," when asked why he would do such a fool thing as invite the devil to town simply responds that he wanted to see for himself.

Breathed sits in the southern part of Ohio near the Appalachian Mountains. Even in 1984 it's a town without paved roads, a town where time seems to have stood still. It's full of small town values, small town ideas and small-minded people.

When Fielding Bliss, son of Autopsy, first lays eyes on Sal, he just sees another 13 year old. But Fielding is looking through innocent eyes. He doesn't see a black boy, he just sees a new friend.

Though nowhere in the book does it say that there are no black people in town, it's understood by the response of the townspeople that the sight of anyone non-white is a rare occurrence. Grayson Elohim has the most visceral reaction to the appearance of the brown boy with green irises. Time for Mr. Elohim stopped in 1956 when he lost his fiance. Perhaps that's why he's so taken aback by the sight of a black boy, lost in his memories of a time when black people, especially black boys and men, knew their place and stayed in it.

Indeed, Sal is a bit strange, but no stranger than anyone else in Fielding's family or in Breathed. Wise for his years, he offers counsel to Fielding and the rest of the Bliss family as they embrace him and take them in as one of their own. And he needs their embrace and their acceptance as strange things start to happen around town. It's unbearably hot and the townspeople are starting to behave in inexplicable ways. Secret meetings around town regarding the town's 13 year old visitor hearkens back to Klan meetings. Seemingly reasonable people are pulled into the rantings and ravings of Elohim and worked into an unforgettable and unforgivable frenzy based on his bigoted beliefs.

As the story unfolds, neither Fielding nor the rest of his family believe that Sal is anything other than a child, and I think that may have been the author's goal. Sal is charming and though he does bring out the worst in some people, he brings out the best in others. Did he arrive in Breathed for the sole purpose of exposing the evil lurking in the hearts of men and women? Is Sal really devil or just a very wise boy? I'll leave it up to you to decide.

The devil comes to Ohio in the form of a thirteen year old boy in The Summer that Melted Everything. Really beautifully written.

"You know where the name hell came from." He crossed his hands on his lap. "After I fell, I kept repeating to myself, God will forgive me. God will forgive me. Centuries of repeating this, I started to shorten it to He'll forgive me. Then finally to one word, He'll. He'll. Somewhere along the way, I lost that apostrophe and now it's only Hell. But hidden in that one word is God will forgive me. God will forgive me. That is what is behind my door, you understand. A world of no apostrophes and, therefore, no hope."

The premise of this book was great: a small town in Ohio that is visited by the devil after the local attorney places in ad in the newspaper inviting him. Instead of horns and a tail, a 13 year old boy shows up. At first no one believes this kid, after all, this is just a child. But then the town's true nature comes through revealing a racist and violent past for some of its members.

Then some other stuff happens. And around the 50% mark, I started to doze off.

It's not that this book is poorly written. In fact, McDaniel is quite the talented writer. It's just boring. The whole book is a plotless metaphor that overstayed its welcome. There are some great messages in this book, mainly centered around the treatment of minorities and sexual orientations that aren't the norm, but none of the characters (except for Grand) really stood out. I kept hoping for something big to happen (which, arguably, did in the end). The book just read a little slow and unfortunately, will be forgotten.

With all the bad stuff out of the way, I would actually recommend this book the the right reader but for a casual reader, I'd recommend they pass on this one.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.
Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.
When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperatures as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestles with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

This was not what I expected after reading the blurb. Not in a bad way. Maybe I should rephrase that - this was so much more than I expected after reading the blurb...yeah, that sounds better...

While I could spend paragraph after paragraph on the plot, I am not going to - I will let the blurb do the work and focus what I really did like about the novel.

For me, there are certain things that are a 'must' for me in a novel: characters, plot, setting and dialogue. And this book nails pretty much each and every one of them. And that doesn't happen too often. However, what this book does also far outweighs the sum of those things - it makes the reader "feel" something. I found myself at numerous times throughout the book wondering just where this story was going. And that is a good thing.

Let's tick off a few of those "musts" shall we?

* Characters - definitely the biggest attraction to this book for me. Whether it was the Fielding's or Sal, or the rest of the townsfolk, every character seemed to have been written in some depth, with flaws and strengths written right in there - from the get-go we are able to get to know the characters in a real, tangible way.

* Plot - While it does sound like a "Invite the devil to town, watch him run amok" kind of story, it was so much more than that. It is a story that plays out of the entire length of the novel - getting all the way to the end can be a bit toughwhen writing a novel of such complexity but I think the author did a wonderful job keeping me attention all the way through.

* Setting - Small-town USA, 1984. Filled with all the expected problems: racism, religion, homophobia, and child abuse - and wraps them up into a sensationally tight setting. However, there was a point where I felt like it was starting to get a bit preachy - that there was a lesson to learn in every situation...and that was hard.

* Dialogue - sadly, this is where the book lost a star for me. At times, the narrator sounds like one of the most intelligent people in the world, but at other times, the Southern dialect and grammar comes into play. I was never really sure whether Fielding was as intelligent as I thought...or, more to the point, if I had missed something and somebody else was narrating. And that was jarring, for me.

Overall, this is still a high quality novel and one that I can recommend highly.


Paul
ARH

There’s so much more to this incredibly moving debut novel than meets the eye with these few words that tell you what it’s “about.” Bigotry in all senses, sexual preference, skin color, abuse, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, aging… and living. Just the day to day of living seems both precious and tenuous in Breathed in 1984.

Tiffany McDaniel does such a tremendous job giving life to her characters. You’ll see, maybe even care for these people, you’ll see how their past makes someone capable of hurting another. How their fears can cause such pain for others. Can love conquer fear?

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately in this instance,I didn't connect to the story. As I didn't finish reading, I will not be reviewing this title. Many thanks and I do look forward to picking up another read from this author.

I ended up losing interest on this book and at this point I don't think I'll read it

The Summer that Melted Everything is a beautifully constructed and eloquently delivered debut novel that captures both the readers’ attention and sympathies. While the story itself is sad, incredibly sad, McDaniel weaves a tale that is so elegantly written that it crosses over into a work of art. Initially, while chatting with my coworkers about this book, I had mentioned I was going to rate it 4.5/5, however upon further reflection, I realized that the only reason I wasn’t rating it a 5 was due to the tragic subject matter. I personally struggle with this bias, with regard to the subject matter. I always love happy endings, or uplifting stories, however I try very hard to recognize this perception and try not to let it slip through to my ratings, as such I subsequently readjusted my score to a 5, of which this novel is well deserving. Throughout reading The Summer that Melted Everything, I many, many times found myself highlighting passages or quotes, due to loving the manner in which the unique sentences were written. My coworkers and I have been trying to come up with other books we deemed literarily beautiful and eloquent, and the one I found most comparable to this novel was Night Circus. The story is told through an aging Fielding Bliss reflecting upon his life, specifically the summer of 1984 that robbed him of his innocence and forever tragically, impacted his life, as well as the individuals of his small town. Overall, McDaniel does the near impossible by making such a heartbreaking, sad tale into a beautiful, vivid work of art that leaves the reader pondering Fielding and his summer of 1984 long after finishing the last words. Moral of my post, read this book!

Well this was probably one of the best written novels I have ever read! Every paragraph was like opening a package not knowing what you would get - a strawberry shortcake with whipped cream or a dark booming thunder storm. This book was a little slow in spots, but then... OH! All you had to do was start reading the next paragraph because it would change in an instant.

With its ever twisting spider webby plot you never knew what was going to happen next, and sometimes didn't want to know. This was the kind of book that left you saying WHAT??? But the ending was so great you didn't have to have all the answers. I felt satisfied.

This story is a trip. One you're not sure you will want to take, but you do, and you keep reading on - even through all the horrifying sadness because its the quirkiness and excellent writing and original style that keeps you wanting to know more.

I just love this part, I think I will always think of it! -

Old Man, Why do you buy so many rolls of aluminum foil?
For my sins, I answer, to make them beautiful.

I write my sins on a piece of foil and place it on the ground with a rock on its corner so the foil doesn't get carried off. Then I go away from it. Go a distance from it because then, from afar, the sins become beautiful silver things that catch the light of the sun so brightly, heaven is left in want.


And this one as well, just amazing to me -

"You know where the name hell came from." He crossed his hands on his lap. "After I fell, I kept repeating to myself, God will forgive me. God will forgive me. Centuries of repeating this, I started to shorten it to He'll forgive me. Then finally to one word, He'll. He'll.

"Somewhere along the way, I lost that apostrophe and now it's only Hell. But hidden in that one word is God will forgive me. God will forgive me. That is what is behind my door, you understand. A world of no apostrophes and, therefore, no hope."


Tiffany McDaniel will be a huge success. I do hope others will appreciate her writing as much as I did. Can't wait for her next book!

There were so many emotional layers to this novel, bringing each character to new levels of growth. We learn why Fielding's mother is afraid of the rain, something that may seem a trivial fear, and my favourite was learning about Sal and his past experiences. One of the quotes that he said early in the novel really spoke to me; "Even a devils heart isn't just for beating."

Overall, I think this was a great story that made me think very seriously. These characters were so wise, and really made me think about life. I am really hoping that this author will continue writing, because she has such an incredible writing style, and master way of storytelling.

Very well written! Takes time and thought to read it and makes for a compelling read!

A delightful read, I was truly taken by surprise by how much of a treat this book was. And that cover? Amazing. Such a great read for a hot summer!

This novel set in a tiny town in Ohio was a tour of force and there’s a good reason why it won the Guardian’s Not the Booker award last year. The way Tiffany describes heat will make you wanna crawl out of your skin. An investigation of the nature of good vs evil and what brings out our true nature. A chronicle of a community unraveling and personal hell of the aftermath.
Still blown away this is a debut novel. Looking forward to whatever Tiffany writes next.