Book Review: ‘A Love Like the Sun’ by Riss M. Neilson

As per a recent report by Katz Insititute for Women's Health, many women endure dismissive responses to their symptoms, being told the pain is "in their heads" or simply "normal." This pattern reflects a broader issue where women's voices are minimised, ultimately impacting their health outcomes.

Riss M. Neilson's A Love Like the Sun offers a fictional perspective of this trend through Laniah or Ni, as Issac, her best friend, calls her. Laniah has faced these prejudices and gaslighting by his primary doctor for years.

Laniah lost her father to a heart disease at a young age. History has one tendency of sneaking up in the present, which Laniah understands better, and now she is worried that the same thing will happen to her.

Throughout, Laniah experiences pain in her body, and feels that something is not right. Every time she reaches out to her primary doctor, her symptoms are dismissed as anxiety, and everything that she is feeling is not seen in her blood work.

"There's no one who knows our bodies better than we do ourselves, and if you feel like something is off, then it probably is."

Laniah narrates A Love Like the Sun, and life is seen through her introverted self, who likes to keep to herself. Laniah and her mother, Vanessa, own a business that provides natural products to help people love and appreciate their natural beauty.

Like small businesses that face real-life challenges, Laniah's business is no exception. They are on the edge of closing it down.

"We opened Wildly Green three years ago, giddy to have a storefront for the natural body butter and hair oils mom had been mixing in our kitchen since I was a little girl. We'd had big plans, but reality struck and instead of building our dream, we've pulled in serious debt."

Enter Issac. He and Ni have been friends since childhood. They have a shared history of understanding loss and grief. Issac lost his parents when he was young and was raised by foster parents who did not care about his existence, forcing Laniah's parents to take care of him however they could.

Isaac is the opposite of Laniah. His life is in the public eye as a social media personality. So when he learns that Laniah’s business is about to close, he suggests using his social media fan base to save it by faking a relationship. This would ultimately gain attention, boost sales, and attract investors.

The author uses Issac's life to show the power of social media and its effects on society. It can make or break you. At the beginning of the book, Darius, with whom Laniah went on a few dates, shares intimate photos of her on social media as revenge for her rejecting him. This leaves Laniah devastated, as it does many women in real life, some of whom experience even worse outcomes, including mental health issues.

Riss also explores other themes, including grief and challenges that come with taking care of a loved one who is battling a chronic illness. We see how Vanessa, Ni’s mother, struggles as she watches the love of her life, her husband, get closer to death, with each day worse than the last, and his condition worsening with every breath he takes.

"I watched you suffer with sadness each day. Then, when he died, you dropped into the depth of despair. For months, you would not eat and hardly spoke. Sometimes, I wondered if I lost both of my parents."

In this dialogue between Ni and her mother, the author shows how this experience has shaped Ni now that she is an adult. She worries about allowing love into her life because she does not want to go through what her mother went through.

As their fake dating progresses, Ni and Issac find themselves at a crossroads after realising that there may be more between them than just friendship. New emotions emerge, and they do not know whether to act on them or forget about their fake relationship altogether, fearing they might lose a friendship they have spent their whole lives perfecting.

A Love Like the Sun is a book that draws readers into a story that feels like real life. As readers get to the end of the story, they are left believing that taking risks is not such a bad idea. Or that allowing others to see us for who we truly are is the only way they can love us for all that we are. Lastly, it leaves readers understanding that while love alone may not be enough, it is an excellent starting point for something more.

Jane Shussa is passionate about books, coffee, nature, and travel. She serves as a Senior Digital Communications Officer for Twaweza East Africa.