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Bright Red Fruit

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An unflinching, honest novel in verse about a teenager's journey into the slam poetry scene and the dangerous new relationship that could threaten all her dreams. From the award-winning poet and author of HOME IS NOT A COUNTRY.

Bad girl. No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her reputation. She’s never gotten the benefit of the doubt—not from her mother or the aunties who watch her like a hawk.

Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet—until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before—one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community.

In this gripping coming-of-age novel from the critically acclaimed author Safia Elhillo, a young woman searches to find the balance between honoring her family, her artistry, and her authentic self.

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2024

64 people are currently reading
4348 people want to read

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Safia Elhillo

19 books600 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
Profile Image for s.penkevich [mental health hiatus].
1,573 reviews14.1k followers
February 14, 2025
Poetry gives a voice to the voiceless,’ Turkish poet Gonca Özmen once said of poetry’s power, ‘it makes the invisible visible.’ Harnessing the gift of words and poetry is especially empowering for those who feel overlooked, cast out, misunderstood or simply desiring to be heard. Such is the desire of Sudanese-American teenager Samira in Safia Elhillo’s powerful novel in verse, Bright Red Fruit, a YA coming-of-age tale where poetry becomes an outlet for Samira to examine her identity and interpersonal relationships. Stifled by a “bad girl” reputation with her aunts back home, Samira heads to New York City for a fresh start in poetry workshops only to find the path littered with manipulative men and never quite free from her mother’s grip. A moving and poetically elegant novel that integrates the myth of Persephone as thematic texture to Samira’s own story, Bright Red Fruit is as empowering as it is inspiring.

i am going to show him i'm a serious artist
just like him, that i'm grown, just like him
not a kid, but a poet, a woman.


Having rather loved Safia Elhillo’s poetry—her collection Girls That Never Die is simply outstanding—I was excited to check out her YA novel in verse. Addressing many of the themes that appears in her adult work, yet gorgeously reconfigured into a narrative for a YA audience with relatable characters struggling with one another and their own destructive impulses, Bright Red Fruit tackles rather heady and heavy topics with grace. I really enjoyed the way the novel is in poetic form, befitting it’s narrative, with the use of emails and text exchanges threaded in quite effectively. Samira’s own poetry appears and Elhillo does an excellent job of crafting them in a way to show her improve and edit her own ideas that felt appropriate for a novel about poetry workshops.

In New York I think I can finally be free.

Samira is a character who admits ‘ever since i was small i’ve wanted to be loved,’ but often finds the love of family to be cloying and seeks affirmation in unhealthy spaces—such as the attention of an older man who’s poetry she admires. Yet she is determined to be her own person and leaves for NYC knowing her reputation back home is a false impression of her where those who know her are quick to assume the worst.
here's the story: in sixteen years my lips
have never been kissed, but my name spends years
kissed in every gossiping mouth, kissed
with disapproving teeth, kissed by the threat of
disgrace, of exile, my name kissed
by every whisper, by every shaken head
while i sit inside it, untouched & full
of a wanting i cannot name, of something doused
in gasoline & ready to catch

Her mother will not allow her to continue poetry workshops if she has any romantic entanglements, yet she has caught the eye of Horus and is deeply infatuated with his gaze meeting her in desire. It is a well done look at how Samira, in her wish to be desirable, acts older than she is and is willfully ignorant to the red flags displayed by Horus who is manipulating her vulnerabilities. ‘It’s intoxicating,’ she thinks, ‘to be cared about like this / to have someone want so badly to know me.’ The reader, however, can detect a clear sense of grooming and a Elhillo does well by giving a narrative arc around Samira being able to recognize it herself and find a sense of identity and strength not dependent upon the desires of a romantic partner.

In the tale of Persephone
which should be read

as an argument between the mother and the lover—
the daughter is just meat.

Louise Glück, from Persephone the Wanderer

The tale of Persephone is integral to the narrative yet, as Elhillo points out in an interview ‘rarely had I read a version of that myth that centered on the agency of the daughter, where it is like the battle of wills between the mother and the kidnapper.’ Like the above Glück poem, which serves as an epigraph to the story, we see how Samira feels like a mere piece of meat caught between the wills of her mother and Horus. Glück’s poetry was a major influence of Elhillo as a poet. In an interview with Service 95, Elhillo recommends the collection Averno
Louise was one of my most important teachers and this is my favourite of her books. Blunt and plainspoken and austere and still so vivid, so pretty. Such surprising musicality. My novel Bright Red Fruit owes a lot to the Persephone poems in this book.

I enjoy the way Elhillo shapes this novel not necessarily as a retelling but with enough touchstones to the myth to make it relevant while also rectifying the tale by centering the Persephone-like character and giving her agency and a voice.

the girl, throughout history
is still silent
a blank space for us all to color in
with whatever we already believe


Safia Elhillo’s Bright Red Fruit is a lovely novel of poetry and identity. Exploring cultural and familial expectations, the struggles of finding a voice, navigating toxic relationships and surviving the teenage years, Elhillo writes with beauty and empathy for a rather engaging novel.

4.5/5
Profile Image for Azanta (azantareads).
330 reviews576 followers
August 17, 2024
i’m a sucker for books about reconciling with our immigrant mothers and though that wasn’t the forefront of this book, it was a big part of it. i loved how interpretations of Persephone’s myth were woven into the character arc of Samira and these poems were so well written!
Profile Image for Kristy.
1,395 reviews179 followers
November 22, 2023
“but ever since i was small i’ve wanted to be loved”

Wow. This blew me away. Samira’s voice is so raw and real. I felt every emotion.

I know novels told in verse aren’t for everyone, but for me, the sparseness of the words force the writer to hone in on feelings, to use the tools of poetry to pack a punch. It resonates.

Samira is a Sudanese-American living in DC, trying to navigate being 16 in a country so different from her culture, with a mom who doesn’t seem to understand what being a teenage girl in the US means. Her mom tries to hold her close, sometimes too tightly, to keep her safe from the unknown. Samira relies on writing poetry and her two best friends until one night while posting on a poetry website, an older man, Horus (25), reaches out to her, impressed by her poems and making her feel seen.

“…it’s intoxicating, to be cared about like this
to have someone want so badly to know me”


This attention is what Samira has been craving, wanting, wishing for. To be seen and understood. And soon this secret relationship grows and festers, Samira desperately trying to be the adult she isn’t and Horus playing on her insecurities and needs. There were times where I wanted to shake Samira and say “girl, here’s what’s really happening.” But so many other times I saw why she did the things she did and it was her self-discovery and coming of age that made this so beautiful.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Toya (thereadingchemist).
1,390 reviews185 followers
January 1, 2024
Bright Red Fruit is a beautiful, poignant coming of age novel written in verse that explores cultural identity, freedom of expression, and the exploitation of minors by predatory adults.

I absolutely loved Samira’s character and saw so much of my teenage self in her; including how easy it is to be manipulated by older men thinking that it is love.

Elhillo is truly a gifted author and poet, and I will continue to read whatever she writes. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook for this as it is read by Elhillo!

Thank you to PRH Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Howard.
2,002 reviews115 followers
July 20, 2024
4.5 Stars for Bright Red Fruit (audiobook) by Safia Elhillo read by the author.

This book feels like it must be somewhat autobiographical. It’s a wonderful story of a young woman dealing with her family and experiencing love for the first time. She also gets to experience the world of poetry, she falls for a poet and gets to participate in her first poetry slam.
Profile Image for Jess (oracle_of_madness).
883 reviews104 followers
December 30, 2023
I love a book in verse. Particularly ya novels written by amazing authors such as this one about topics that many of us truly experience at a young age. It's the lyrical and hard-hitting feeling of these lines that really resonated with me, particularly about a topic that so many of us, no matter what our gender is, understand.

Samira is Sudanese living in DC. Her mother wants nothing more than to protect her from the alarming amount of harm that could happen in this country that feels so different to her. As many mothers do, she winds up alienating Samira, so when real problems do begin to happen, she feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

This story that unravels throughout this book is juxtaposed with some very beautiful thoughts on the myth of Persephone and her relationship with Hades , the underworld, and her mother. This ancient tale feels more relevant than ever being spun through Samira's story. Less about the girl and her desires and so much focus on the mother's reaction and Hade's controlling nature. In this case, we do get the tale from the girl's side of the story.

When a man, Horus, enters Samira's life, she feels so much at once and doesn't quite understand or have the ability to clearly see the red flags. I felt a deep connection with Samira's honest character and definitely recommend this one!

Out January 6, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
Profile Image for tala .
23 reviews9 followers
August 6, 2024

Bright Red Fruit is a searing, tender coming of age novel and a really well-done Hades and Persephone retelling. Elhillo once again offers up a sensitively written , vulnerable portrait of a Sudanese girl’s inner life and struggles with her family and community. I liked this one even more than her first novel-in-verse because her poetics weren’t as fractal and sparse. She uses this rich, flowing style reminiscent of her other works. This novel also tackles a predatory, insidious relationship with an older man and coming into the book I wasn’t aware of just how much of this would be explored so please look up the trigger warnings so you’re better prepared than I was! Samira’s relationship with her mother was beautifully woven into this Demeter-Persephone framing and her friendships are written with an unfathomable warmth. As Warsan Shire said “Habibti Safia writes and it leaves a lump in your throat but also honey under your tongue.”
Profile Image for chasc.taylor_reads.
358 reviews23 followers
September 4, 2024
4.5 stars

A beautiful and engaging coming of age story written in verse. I felt an array of emotions while reading this. I was eager to find out how things ended with Horus, as well as, Samira’s relationship with her mom.
Profile Image for Anne (Not of Green Gables) .
369 reviews23 followers
January 23, 2025
I still feel like I've outgrown the YA coming-of-age era but this was a poignant story with some beautiful, dare I say, poetic writing that I'm glad I took a chance on. And the cover is absolutely gorgeous.
Profile Image for Leigh's Novel Hour.
218 reviews2 followers
December 22, 2024
Favorite book of the year. no notes. I loved everything about this book. The focus on girlhood is so poignant and specific. It illustrates the insurmountable expectations placed on girls to be a certain way and behave a certain way. How girls are suppose to be the icons of innocence while at the same time preyed upon for it. I also love the mother-daughter relationship. It was fraught but you could also feel the love and tenderness. The author also captured the nuanced dynamics of immigrant families navigating new cultural contexts. Idk everything in this book worked for me. The writing is also just soo good. I’m not a big poetry girly but some of the poems could be standalones published in an anthology or something. It’s funny cus I didn’t super enjoy this author’s debut novel but she’s got my attention now.
Profile Image for Glenda Nelms.
746 reviews15 followers
January 29, 2024
Bright red fruit is a coming of age novel written in verse that explores cultural identity, exploitation of minors by predatory adults and freedom of expression. It's about Samira is a Sudanese-American living in DC, trying to navigate being 16 in a country so different from her culture, with a mom who doesn’t seem to understand what being a teenage girl in the US means. Her mom tries to hold her close, sometimes too tightly, to keep her safe from the unknown. Samira relies on writing poetry and her two best friends until one night while posting on a poetry website, an older man, Horus (25), reaches out to her, impressed by her poems and making her feel seen.
Profile Image for Angela  DeMaio.
393 reviews225 followers
February 1, 2024
easily a 5 star read! this is a beautiful ya novel in verse. highly recommend if you enjoyed books like the poet x + punching the air!
Profile Image for Shannon.
7,784 reviews407 followers
February 6, 2024
A moving YA coming of age novel in verse featuring a Sudanese American teen girl and her struggles to be a 'good daughter' while also wanting to do the things average teen girls do. Things like hanging out with her friends (including boys), wearing what she wants and pursuing poetry as a career option. Things get complicated when one of her friend's mothers 'out' her to her own mother and she gets put under even stricter rules. Then she meets an older poet online and becomes involved with him only to start taking credit for her work. Full of strong emotions and hard life lessons, this is perfect for fans of authors like Elizabeth Acevedo and excellent on audio narrated by the author herself. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Profile Image for Amonee Gilliam.
77 reviews
September 8, 2024
Wow!! Safia Elhillo is amazing. This was such a great story. I felt every emotion with Samira and it was such a beautiful experience.
Profile Image for cora ⁎⁺˳✧༚.
87 reviews
June 8, 2024
what an excellent way to highlight many aspects of arabic culture especially for immigrant families capturing a range of important societal issues. the message is very clear which is the best way to protect your child is by providing them unconditional support and showing you'll always be on their side as anything less won't be effective. the author's perspective feels authentic and true to the experiences of many arabic communities.

overall, great work.
Profile Image for That one psychopath.
242 reviews6 followers
June 8, 2024
"The saxophones loneliness"- The best line

Okay, I tell you this was a very impactful story extremely and I loved how it related to Greek mythology in a way and it's about kind of reconnecting with the people in your lives that you don't notice are in your lives and loving you when you think they hate you when you're with toxic people and you're in that blind sate.

This is how to heal and this is a story about a young girl making her story known and man I don't even know how to explain it. It was good. It was really good.

And the toxic person in this book was very toxic. Kudos to the author on that because every time they walked on the page I was like "EW brother EW" -Stewie Griffin

Also, I read a lot of poetry books when I'm in the middle of a really horrible reading slump because my depression decided that it was a great idea to give me that. (Thanks a lot. Depression cuz for once I wouldn't have found an actual good book if it weren't for you. This is the only time my depression gets a thanks)

- From the literate child that somehow knows how to read
Profile Image for ReadnliftwithShar.
1,776 reviews
February 6, 2024

Bright Red Fruit was a beautiful story, full of poems that tells the journey of a teenage girl, Samira, who is trying to navigate her own journey while under the watchful eyes of her mother and aunts. Samira felt that her mother was overprotective and strict. I love the title, it’s almost like touching the forbidden fruit and getting burned, as she found herself in a series of unfortunate circumstances.

I truly appreciated the message throughout. It talks about the possible dangers of online dating and signs of intimate partner violence. The importance of communication with your child and the cultural differences in dating as a teen and what is acceptable. I sympathized a lot with Samira. I don’t think she was being rebellious but she was influenced and taken advantage of and that really was difficult for her. I think anyone could read this and experience an aha-moment because these things can happen to anyone engaging online. The poetry site was a positive outlet for Samira, and luckily she had a village to support her throughout a difficult time. I enjoyed this one so much! The author just gets it right, every time!!


Arc from netgalley and the publisher.
Profile Image for C.
203 reviews21 followers
August 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this one the cover is great and really caught my eye and when i found out it was written in poetry form i wanted to give it a go.. This was a really good coming of age novel that touched down on topics culturally and just showed the main character navigating life even when she knew she shouldnt be doing certain things and how the people around her tried to warn her and stuff. I thought the friendship with her and gabriel was so wholesome and supportive and even when things went south he was still there to support her and it was so cute. This follows the main character and her poetry and i loved the persephone tie ins and stuff.. We follow a girl who wants to start doing poetry and stuff and makes some bad decisions and her and her mothers relationship isnt the best but seeing them rekindle halfway through was really beautiful. I also really loved the support system she had from her aunt the whole book she was amazing. The storyline between horus and her was very messy but it all made sense in the end when people came together and started to realize he wasnt the person he was saying he was basically and just not a good person at all. This was a quick read and it had very good moments. Samira was a great lead for this novel!
Profile Image for Natalie Park.
1,137 reviews
February 19, 2024
4.5 stars. I so enjoyed this novel in verse which includes the author’s beautiful poetry. We meet Samira who is originally from Sudan, Muslim and finding her way as a teenager. She loves poetry and seems to have a gift for it. Although she’s never done anything bad, her reputation is tarnished with her Muslim community thinking she’s much more. She’s a normal teen who wants to wear American style clothes, makeup and interested in boys. Yet it isn’t until she meets Horus online, an older man who is a known poet. She’s been told to stay away from him but she can’t. Things go badly and she’s lost the trust of her mom, family and friends. Will samira risk it all to get her name back and make right with those she cares the most for?
Profile Image for Brooke.
29 reviews
June 12, 2025
Wow! An emotionally charged book. A beautifully written and important read. I hurt for Samira and all of the girls who have a similar story. I wanted to hold on to her, keep her safe, and punch Horus in the face... Enraging, heartbreaking, and inspiring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Julia Nash.
364 reviews23 followers
April 20, 2024
I really like the poetry, but I spent too much time disliking most of the characters until the end. I am definitely not the demographic for this book.
Profile Image for Tracy Shouse.
215 reviews7 followers
August 8, 2025
There’s a transitional point in every young girl's life where she begins to seek love beyond her friends and family. Most girls come through this period unscathed but not all. I believe that this is a book that young girls and mothers should read. Sadly, there are many men like Horus who lay in wait for vulnerable girls who they can manipulate with their adoration. Our digital world has made this even easier. I enjoyed the book, but I don’t think that it's for everyone.
Profile Image for summer sierra.
43 reviews
December 19, 2024
WOW. beautiful. simply beautiful. i didn’t think i could connect with a character over poetry before, because the last novel in verse i read felt distant to me. but samira’s story sickened me and fascinated me at the same time. this book is truly a masterpiece. 11/10 would read again
Profile Image for amelia.
273 reviews14 followers
January 23, 2025
SOOO POWERFUL!!!

every time i read a book in verse, it always leaves an impact.

this was beautifully painful and explores so many topics from wanting to be seen accepted, religion, coming of age and cultural differences. it also explores a predatory online relationship so please look up trigger warnings.

100% a must read for everyone.
Profile Image for Kelly Kawaguchi.
99 reviews4 followers
February 13, 2024
This was a beautifully written book. I don't typically love poetry, but the poetry in this was so moving. I felt deeply for Samira. What she was a victim of in this is not uncommon and is very important to talk about openly. Sometimes myself and so many other young girls have went through. I love how she wove together different aspects of myths, her mother's relationship, her culture, the raw feelings of love, and more into the poetry. I listened to the audiobook and the author, herself, narrated it beautifully.
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