Late September: A Novel

Late September is an intimate queer coming-of-age tale exploring the nuances of love, trauma and mental health. A compelling literary fiction pick for readers of Heather O’Neill and Zoe Whittall.

In the summer of 2000, Ines, a grief-stricken skateboarder beginning to explore her sexuality, leaves behind her sheltered hometown on a Greyhound bus bound for Montreal. In awe of the city’s vibrancy, and armed with a journal and a Discman, Ines sets out to find a new way, befriending April, a latex-loving goth who gets her a job as a cam-girl. In the midst of a bar fight Ines meets Max, a magnetic skateboarder, whom she quickly falls for.

As summer fades to fall Ines tries to uphold the bliss of their intoxicating summer, realizing that while she has escaped the confines of her small-town life, she cannot escape her past. The city changes and their romance darkens as Ines learns that Max is experiencing mental health challenges, all while a regular at the cam studio gets threateningly close. Ines learns that loving herself first requires trial and error—and that love is not always an innocent word.

“Late September is a personal epic, a singular account of early adult life in a new city full of promises and disenchantment. A prose that is ruthlessly realistic yet almost magical and poetic, which blends the city life with the protagonist’s inner struggles and her intimate universe, giving us an authentic coming of age tale, powerful and beautifully crafted.”

Late September is a courageous, vivid, gritty, and surprisingly redemptive portrayal of a young woman in emotional and physical flux. I adored this novel’s main character Ines, who is a skateboarder, a sister, a friend, and a lover, but also a kind of lightning rod for the wounded souls that surround her. With surprises packed into every page, this story addresses trauma and its aftermath with a striking power.

Late September is a breathtaking ride through an unbounded and sensual Montreal. Amy Mattes’ lyrical prose allows us to fall in love with Ines, desperate to be seen, and whose voice rests on the sublime tipping point between vulnerability and sentimentality.