My Sunshine Away
by M.O. Walsh
My Sunshine Away unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering 
summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson—free spirit, track star, and belle of the block—experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.
summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson—free spirit, track star, and belle of the block—experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.
In My Sunshine Away, M.O. Walsh brilliantly juxtaposes the enchantment of a charmed childhood with the gripping story of a violent crime, unraveling families, and consuming adolescent love. Acutely wise and deeply honest, it is an astonishing and page-turning debut about the meaning of family, the power of memory, and our ability to forgive.
~ Goodreads
My review..........3 stars
It pains me to say this because so many people are raving about this book, but I can only say that I liked it. It is one of those books that was good enough to keep me reading to the end, but one that will probably not resonate down the road. It wasn't because of the writing, which was very good, but because of the characters, particularly the story's narrator. The narrator is a teenage boy who is obsessed with this girl who gets raped in their quiet neighborhood. And when I say obsessed, I mean creepy (to me) obsessed. Having never been a teenage boy, or having a teenage boy, I'm sure I'm missing the point, but his behavior (from the spying in trees, changing his appearance, the excessive drinking and carousing), made me not care for him at all. I did enjoy trying to figure out who had committed the crime, as the story is told over a long period of time, where each potential candidate is introduced. This is a debut novel, and I look forward to reading another one by this author. While I didn't enjoy the characters, I did like his writing, and hope that I will relate better to the next novel.
I'm one of the few who hasn't really warmed to this one, so you may want to pick it up and form your own opinions on it.
I have a teenage boy (and a teenage girl for that matter) and I must say this one doesn't grab me either. I think I would be frustrated by the lack of involvement from parents or teachers on the boy's side and freaked out by the girl being a victim! Thanks for sharing. I'll look for the author's next book but give this a pass.
I'm glad to hear I'm not alone on this one. I was feeling like there was something wrong with me as I read it, after all the glowing reviews I had seen. Just goes to show, we all have diverse interests in books.
I liked this a lot but I agree His behaviour is a bit creepy though in a fairly innocent sort of way
I loved this book, but agree with you about the creepy elements. Great review!
I did like the book, I just didn't love it. I had read so many gushing reviews about it, that it was one of those times that you question yourself "why didn't I love this"? In the end, I'm glad I read it, it just won't be a favorite of mine.
Thanks for your candid review! I was one of the ones that loved this one and it had a lot to do with the writing. I didn't mind the narrator...I think he seemed, yes a bit creepy in a teenage boy kind of way, but pretty harmless. And WAY less creepy than some of his neighbors! I do feel like, as he was looking back on that time in his life, he recognized how his behavior would appear to others and acknowledged it was kind of creepy. So, sort of redeemed himself in my book.
I also read this one before tons of bloggers were raving about it....so, it was less hyped in my mind when I read it.