Autumn & Sunny: A Rexdale Song

Abstract

Autumn & Sunny: A Rexdale Song is a young adult romantic novel that follows two working class teens who have a shared love of nineties music and are both grieving. They relate to their community, Rexdale, in different ways. Second generation Jamaican-Canadian, Autumn, lost her eldest brother from gun violence and wants to leave this community. She graduates early so that she can pursue her studies but has secrets, one of which is her poetry. Punjabi born Sunny, a recovering addict who lost his father recently, wants to stay in Rexdale to pursue his rap career. After they experience a racially traumatic incident at a summer camp for grieving teens, they return to Rexdale with a plan— the Grief Cypher— and a renewed desire to seek healing, justice, and love.