A Review of J. E. Sumerau's "Palmetto Rose"

Abstract

J. E. Sumerau’s latest fiction novel Palmetto Rose tells the story of Kid, a bi+, gender fluid twenty-something, living with grief for their romantic partner, alongside their chosen family of LGBTQIA+ friends. This review looks at how Sumerau’s writing presents complex concepts, research, and lived experience for an academic and wider audience.

Contributions of Fictional Narrative Research to Psychological Research with Stigmatized Populations

“…Regarding literature on fiction-based research, internationally, the authors Sumerau and Leavy stand out. Their works are analyzed and described relevantly in recent articles (Cannell, 2021;Dwyer, 2019). Sumerau relies on fiction-based narrative to portray experiences around the themes of sexualities, gender, religion and health, from an LGBTQIA+ perspective (Cannell, 2021).…”

“…Their works are analyzed and described relevantly in recent articles (Cannell, 2021;Dwyer, 2019). Sumerau relies on fiction-based narrative to portray experiences around the themes of sexualities, gender, religion and health, from an LGBTQIA+ perspective (Cannell, 2021). Leavy, on the other hand, writes fictional literature about gender, bodies and relationships, from a feminist perspective (Dwyer, 2019).…”