I want to express my gratitude to Random House UK and Cornerstone | Merky Books for providing access to this book ARC. From the very first moment I started reading, I was completely hooked. The characters and the storyline felt so effortless and engaging that I found it hard to put the book down. However, I did encounter a bit of a challenge with the number of characters; there were moments when I felt a bit lost amidst the cast. Despite this minor issue, the book turned out to be a brilliant read, offering insightful commentary on privilege, wealth, and tradition. The diversity within the characters was impressive, though there were sections that felt slightly cringey. Nevertheless, the blend of nice drama and societal issues was well-balanced, making the overall experience quite enjoyable.

Okay so this was absurdly good. The pseudo-bacchanalia of the French opening and the sobering yet no less sober London/Manchester conclusion. This book felt like it delivered on all of the promises of Saltburn and Call Me By Your Name without deciding to flinch away at the last moment, or to shift from addressing any of the more serious topic they come so close to breaching. The attempts of the narrator to shrink himself down, before trying to reestablish himself in protest and joy and dance, before ending, finally, in lonely obscurity (which we know, now, at least, is actually where he finds himself surrounded by those he has been guilty of neglecting, but are still waiting to catch him anyway.) There were so many moments where I was afraid microaggressions, and full on aggressions for that matter, would be brushed over to make way for the continuation and success of the driving-force of the romance (which is written with stunning and intoxicating precision.) It was both a relief and a shock to see that the author refused to shy away from the tensions they spent the entire novel establishing and underwriting. Rather, they executed a complex and messy but oh so real series of events, which made each family member and each side character, even those who barely feature, burst from the page with life. Each and every subplot with their subtleties and pains never fell into the trap of distracting from the core of the novel, and rather bolstered it, imbuing it with more purpose and depth. The whole novel felt like a stunningly vulnerable rumination on the permeability and mutability of boundaries, including but not limited to temporal, racial, economic, and interpersonal. I look forward to having a physical copy of this book on my shelf, and reading anything else William Rayfet Hunter publishes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Cornerstone for the eARC of Sunstruck!

This is a sweeping, intricate story about a who is student is invited to stay with a friend at her family's lavish French holiday home. He's a working class, Northern, queer, black man, but despite feeling out of his depth, he soon becomes embroiled with them all, especially her charismatic brother.
Think 21st century Brideshead or a more political Saltburn mixed with Natasha Brown's 'Assembly'. This is exquisite. Tense pacing, a compulsive storyline, and well-drawn characters. I felt a constant sense of discomfort and disconnection from being in this protagonist's skin. He couldn't have felt more real to me.

It's a tightly plotted story that's hard to put down. It's also a superb depiction of an entitled, dysfunctional family and a thought-provoking examination of race, class, sexuality and identity. It's beautifully done and never feels heavy-handed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

From the very start of this book I was hooked. The settings and characters are described so well without feeling forced or unnatural. This allowed me to feel instantly invested in every plot line. The setting of France in the summer felt somehow nostalgic (though this may be due to picturing scenes from Call Me by Your Name).

The nameless main character felt so relatable despite being so dissimilar to me, making it easier to forgive his seemingly silly decisions. The way you are allowed insight into his memories to explain what influences his decisions and viewpoints works incredible well.

The other characters felt so well fleshed out that, despite there being so many, I never felt lost or confused as to who was who.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and felt I couldn’t put it down whilst reading, the only area it lost a star for me was that the conclusion felt dissatisfying. Not because I wasn’t happy with how the author chose to direct the end of the story, but because I didn’t expect the last page to be the last page. Though I understand why they chose this, I felt I wasn’t ready for that to be the end of the story. Just one more chapter at the end would have felt to be a more satisfying conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone as an insight into the lives of the extreme upper class, and the disproportionally of a seemingly more ‘normal’ person being enraptured into their lives.

This book is a fascinating take on power and money, showing how people navigate systems of privilege and oppression. I loved how diverse the cast was, with strong representation of POC and queer characters that felt real and layered. The characters are all morally grey, making choices that are selfish yet understandable, which kept me hooked.

The commentary on police brutality was one of the book’s standout points—raw and relevant without feeling preachy. The first few chapters were so dreamy and immersive, but then the story shifted into the cold, gritty reality of London, which was a sharp and effective contrast.

That said, the book had a few rough patches. The parts in French came off as cringey and unnecessary, and the time jumps between chapters were confusing at times. These things took me out of the story a bit.

Overall, this is a gripping read that balances social issues with personal drama. Despite some flaws, it’s worth picking up for its depth and story.

Sunstruck is a novel about class, race, and power, as a young man enters the world of a privileged family. Our unnamed narrator, of mixed White British and Black Caribbean heritage, goes to stay in France with his White friend from university, Lily, and her family, including her enticing brother Felix. Whilst there, he grows closer to Felix, and his desire seems to be reciprocated, as the family gears up for a big party. And then, months later in London, he tries to navigate his new relationship with Felix and with others in his life, pulled in different directions and by different allegiances.

This debut novel takes the 'outsider enters the world of a privileged family' novel and explores some of the power dynamics within it, particularly around race and sexuality as well as money and connections. The first half of the novel is set in a big French house where the unnamed narrator visits the family, and contains a lot of what you'd expect: simmering desire, secrets, and the narrator not necessarily understanding everything going on. Then, the book suddenly moves to part two, which is set in London and follows him as he and Felix navigate having a half-secret relationship with increasing arguments and tension. Alongside this, there's his increasingly ill grandmother back in Bury and feeling torn between one White posh family and his Black friends and their activism and art.

There's a lot packed in—there's also a Black Conservative MP who keeps popping up, the narrator's childhood with a mentally ill mother, and the side characters all have plotlines as well—making it feel rich and varied, though a few elements don't necessarily get enough space (for example, there's multiple examples of the narrator not being able to support people after sexual assault and not knowing what to do, which could've been explored a bit more). Overall, this is a gripping novel perfect if you enjoy this kind of 'outsider in a privileged world' story.

I've been thinking about this book a lot since I finished it. The first half of the book gave such strong saltburn vibes that I kept expecting something awful to happen to the characters - the story starts with our main character (only ever referred to as "white boy") spending a dreamlike, toasty summer with his unbelievably rich, old-money friend Lily and her family. He quickly falls for her brother, Felix (saltburn again, see?), and the two flirt and dance around each other for the first half of the book. The stay in the Chateau is tainted with microaggressions against white boy, and subtle jokes and stabs, and really weird family traditions that always keep him "othered" from the family and their rich friends. I enjoyed the first half of the book, and the flashbacks to whiteboys childhood were a good contrast and explained some of his behavior in the present timeline. His grandma is the best.

I was pretty shocked at how big the time jump was for the second half of the book. It's a year later, and immediately the vibe is different, they're in London now, not the fairy-tale castle, the relationship with Felix has grown fraught. Every interaction with the family has layers upon layers of double-meaning. Soon whiteboy is selling his integrity as he desperately tries to stay close to Felix. The trouble was, I could never see why he liked Felix in the first place (asides how hot he was), so the minute it got rocky and whiteboy was still simping all over Felix, (and screwing over his friends in the process) I started to lose patience and interest in whiteboy as a character. Even as major, life changing events are happening in London, whiteboy is obsessed with getting Felix to accept him publicly. Which I suppose is the point, but it was almost <i>too </i> frustrating for me. His friends were much more interesting to me, Jazz & Dot especially. I thought Lily was much more interesting than Felix too, with her thoughtless photography and possessive behavior about whiteboy. So the second half dragged a little bit for me. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think I'll be mulling over it for a while yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced ecopy of this book in exchange for a review. I really enjoyed reading this book it was very current and on trend. I liked the main character although never being referred to by his name, only known as 'White boy' by Jazz his black friend even though he is of mixed British white and Caribbean heritage. The plot was very enjoyable - covering his holiday to France with his white best friend Lily where he meets and falls for her brother Felix. We also read topics including the shooting of a black man in America and trouble incurred at Notting Hill Carnival in London. This looked in depth at how black and mixed people are treated in society with subliminal micro racism as well as full out racists and police brutality. The book also explores the difference in families and culture where wealth and poverty are divided as well as love and friendships. I will be recommending this book to others and looking out for more in the future from William Rayfet Hunter - a well deserved winner of the Merky books new writers prize in 2022! 4.5 stars

WILLIAM RAYFET HUNTER – SUNSTRUCK****
As a debut novel, this is a tour de force. A beautiful young black man becomes captivated by Felix, the troubled but glamourous son of a wealthy family with a luxurious mansion in the south of France and estates in London.
This could be described as Alan Hollinghurst lite, having similar racism themes to the recent captivating Our Evenings; both have young gay black actors as their POV heroes and wealthy families with which they become involved. As one would expect the ‘perfect’ Blake family is disintegrating under the surface and his relationship with Felix is on again, off again, over many years.
Some sentences, particularly at the beginning, seem overwritten and need a judicious edit, hence only four stars, but overall, this is a very impressive tome and well worth a read. An author to watch out for in the future.

Excellent reminds me of saltburn and just as good. Social status, hedonism, friendship, deceit and sex, this ticks all the boxes and more. A throughly entertaining read.

This is going to be perhaps the most gushing review you will read this year but I make no apologies. This deserved to be the winner of the Merky books 2022 new writers prize.
Hunter’s voice is undeniably credible and his experiences are those experienced by many people of colour who simply want to be recognised in their own right. Yet the constant snipes and finger pointing forces them to become out spoken and take a stand in their search for simple equality.
The novel opens when “White boy’” takes up the offer of a summer away at Lily’s family chateau in France. Immediately he is drawn towards her brother Felix. There are uncomfortable scenes when he is described as beautiful and his hair is tugged as he emerges from the pool. While this is triggering it is the obvious class difference that stands out.
The plot fast-forwards to their relationship in London where the racism becomes more overt and the relationship more toxic. ‘White boy ‘ is treated as a secret or Lily’s friend who will just not go away. David, Felix’s father, hands him a job but this comes at a cost. He must tow the line and keep the family’s dysfunctional secrets. Things come to a head at the Notting Hill Carnival when he witnesses police brutality delivered to his friend J and he is treated differently as he attempts to go back to the House until Felix comes.
Kemi, I mean Caroline is the sinister black MP who wishes to bury the story of J reminding “White boy” that there is always a place for him within Parliament, as long as he backs her beliefs that there is no such thing as institutional racism.
As the relationship breaks down the narrator begins to realise just how unjust his life is and how Annie, Felix’s mother will do everything within her power to protect her son. The final lines of this novel are brilliant and our hearts cry mostly because we recognise the truth in it.
Throughout we are given snippets of “White boy’s” childhood, how his grandmother took him in at an early age because of his mother’s hospitalisation due to mental breakdowns. He describes the effects it had on him while still managing to depict her with sensitivity. It is clear he has a strong bond with his grandmother and her voice is warm and soothing. Hunter has such skill in his ability to develop his characters. You feel that you know them all, perhaps because we all know a Caleb and Jazz. I really can’t praise this book enough and eagerly wait for his next.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.