M.O. Walsh

Guilt, innocence and obsessive love rule in this southern masterpiece that is reminiscent of "Stand By Me" or any Pat Conroy novel. We smell the heavy scent of magnolia and feel the steamy heat while reading about an innocent Baton Rouge of the 90's. Kids play in the streets after dark and there are yes ma'ams and no sirs heard in every household. But kids grow up and sometimes evil can lurk in even the safest neighborhood and that is where a tragic rape occurs that will affect the show more neighborhood forever. Three suspects are being questioned and held in review and it is one of them who is the narrator of this tale.
He has grown up obsessed with the girl next door, Lindy, and it is this obsession, protection and trying to do the right thing that will totally consume him well into adulthood. It is only her acceptance and approval that will free him or crush him completely. Beautifully written with lush language that will make even the most hardened Yankee feel like they grew up in the South. Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of what will be the first of many from this debut author. show less

This is a fantastic premise in search of a far better novel.

I bought this book because I was so intrigued by the first two episodes of the new TV series based on it. The premise: a small American town, set in its quiet little ways, is shaken up by the mysterious arrival of a machine that claims to tell people their "potential." Folks line up to go in the little booth, give their information, and receive a little blue card with a single word on it, like Hero or Carpenter or Magician. One show more local teacher, having just turned 40, is crushed by the "potential" he receives: Teacher/Whistler. It takes him over the edge into a mid-life crisis - why is everyone losing their minds over this thing? Why is his wife acting so strange? And doesn't he have more potential, anyway?

To me, this is a classic Twilight Zone premise, worthy of Rod Serling or Richard Matheson. (I'm sure others will see hints of Stephen King here, or even the Tom Hanks movie Big.) The original 1960s series was full of episodes where a sudden, supernatural or pseudo-magical catalyst forced characters to re-evaluate their lives. Most of the time, a Twilight Zone would set this kind of idea off like a snowball down a hill, gathering speed and mass until it became a crisis by the end of the episode. Sometimes, the crisis would end in a narrow escape; sometimes, the characters had to learn their lessons the hard way.

I like this kind of thing, so I bought the book to see which it was going to be.

What I learned very quickly is that the producers of the TV series bought the rights to the book for the premise and (I suspect) not much else. The character names have all been changed, although they mostly have the same relationships and you can compare like-to-like between versions quite easily. Far more important is the change in the general tone. The TV series has quirky, funny moments, but it also has a vein of genuine melancholy running through it. M.O. Walsh's novel, on the other hand, is - dare I say it - a bit breezy.

At first, I thought he, too, was trying to present the characters quirkily. He spends an awful lot of time in each of several characters' heads, but weirdly, you don't seem to get to know most of them any better than you did at the beginning. They don't shift or change or have conflicting emotions. Instead, they seem to have two modes: love and deep empathy, and a sudden, almost child-like hope about the future. Indeed, some of them start to demonstrate a grandiosity that, as I was reading, I anticipated would be punctured like a balloon.

I found the book easy to read, but as I was going along, I questioned what the author was doing. I kept wondering why, although Walsh occasionally tossed out a high high for a character to experience, I wasn't getting any texture from low lows. By only ever allowing his characters to fleetingly question their own judgment, Walsh made them look, in many cases, quite willfully naïve. I kept making excuses for that in my mind, thinking he was setting them up to take a big fall, a big, dark, climax that would show them all up for the rather smug fools they'd been.

That never happened, except in perhaps the most anticlimactic way possible. In fact, the few small moments of darkness are swept up almost as soon as they're introduced. The entire final third of the book never really lands because there isn't a true climax: things appear to be getting worse - but then they're okay. Somehow. Magically. Because of love.

As for the machine that tells people's potential, it almost completely vanishes over the second half of the book, only briefly reemerging at the very end. And that's fine - a catalyst is a catalyst for a reason, and I never really expected to learn what it "meant" or why it was even there in the first place. However, I did expect its influence to keep motivating the story, and at some point, that simply stopped happening. It's as if it just blew away in the breeze.

I can't in good conscience recommend this book unless you like a read that is so cozy it almost feels saccharine. What's so strange to me is that there is plenty of implied content in this book that is neither cozy nor saccharine, but it all just gets glossed over and swept away in favor of slightly smug, cutesy warm feelings. In another novel, a little unrealistic warmth might feel like relief after a look at what pain and loss can allow people to believe. Here, that simply isn't earned, because the author barely scratched the surface. show less

The subject matter of My Sunshine Away is rough. Not only does it discuss Lindy’s rape and the lingering effects of it on her but also on the entire neighborhood, it also details the mindset of an adolescent boy. To make things even more uncomfortable for readers, the narrator is an adolescent boy obsessed with the very girl struggling to make sense of the crime done to her. This could turn My Sunshine Away into a very crude and uncomfortable story about one man’s biased version of a show more traumatic childhood event and other happenings during his formative years. Instead, under Mr. Walsh’s stellar prose, it becomes a stunning story about memory, family, secrets, and love.

From the opening chapter, readers know that they are in for something different, as the narrator sets the tone for the story by declaring himself one of the four suspects of Lindy’s crime. While this should make him an unreliable narrator, it instead establishes his honesty and willingness to tell the whole truth, no matter how poorly it reflects on his thoughts and actions. He is totally besotted with Lindy but hides nothing from readers. He is quite frank about his lewd sketches, his spying, his fantasies, and his collection of Lindy memorabilia. Again, this should disgust readers and turn them against him. Instead, he is so open and ashamed looking back on his behavior as an adult that readers have no issues forgiving him. In many ways, his inability to hide even his most perverted fantasies make him rather pathetic as he desperately seeks Lindy’s approbation regardless of what it means to his family and friends.

What prevents My Sunshine Away from being just another whodunnit about a long-ago unsolved crime is Mr. Walsh’s writing. Mr. Walsh captures the essence of what it was like to grow up during the early 1990s. The narrator’s recall of huge events like the Challenger tragedy, the discovery and subsequent trial of the Dahmer murders, and so forth are evocative and immediately place readers back to those key dates in their own lives. However, it is his description of the mundane details of life before computers, when watching TV was a family event and talking on the phone with a friend became a daily hours-long ritual, that truly take the stage. He captures the simultaneous hope and ennui that defined the generation that created grunge and does so with breathtaking clarity and a wonderful sense of nostalgia that befits someone reflecting on past events.

The other element of My Sunshine Away which makes it truly spectacular is Mr. Walsh’s use of Baton Rouge as its own character. His descriptions of the steamy summer heat, the ritual of meals, the sense of neighborhood, as well as the dangers lurking in the woods, and the jungle-like quality of a neighborhood bordered by swamps are lovingly detailed. More importantly, they are so vibrant that readers will find it effortless to imagine the neighborhood and its eclectic inhabitants. While the basic plot could occur anywhere in the world, there are certain elements unique to Baton Rouge which make it impossible for the story to unfold anywhere else.

My Sunshine Away has some of the most gorgeous, poetic sentences one can find in a novel. Mr. Walsh has a way of filling a simple statement with a thought so profound that readers will automatically pause to reflect. Similarly, the trip down memory lane to the late 1980s and early 1990s are poignant but exquisitely detailed to make them fun. All the while, the narrator earns a special spot in a reader’s heart for being so guilt-ridden by his adolescent thoughts and behaviors that it is easy to forgive him all his transgressions, real or imagined. My Sunshine Away is the type of novel that will astound readers with its simple but powerful message and well-crafted delivery. show less

My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh is a haunting yet beautiful tale about a tragic childhood.

This book has blown me away with how thought provoking it is! M.O. Walsh's beautiful writing style tells the tale of fifteen year old Lindy (in our narrator's point of view) and the horrors that occur in their neighborhood. Add in the setting of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the late 80s and you've got yourself the perfect coming of age story addressing some really tough issues that we are still seeing show more today.

This is another book that I wish would have been around in my high school years. I think this would have been perfect reading material that addresses the growth and change of a child to an adult, and the big issues in society that are still happening. M.O. Walsh made the story light hearted and fun (at times) in a setting that could have been extremely brutal.

As the book moves forward, the effects on the town and Lindy slowly unravel and the mystery of it all falls into place. The ghosts of everyone's past comes to a nice close at the end of the book, so don't worry about cliffhangers! The last few pages of the book are the perfect summary, better than anything I've ever seen before. It's a real shame I don't see this book (or eventually more) by M.O. Walsh on bookshelves at my local bookstore. This book is top tier writing!

My Sunshine Away had effects on me similar to 1984, To Kill a MockingBird and Shakespeare's best works. The book tells a story and a narrative, but has grande themes that can be picked apart. On top of that, the book feels nostalgic of what most adults had in their childhood (I can relate to talking on the phone when your parents answer it and hold it for you). The surprise of a safe neighborhood not really being all that safe. Also seeing some of the non-fictitious aspects of our world (like the Challenger and Jeffrey Dahmer) really made this book feel real.

The characters also felt like people I would have known in my childhood - nerdy kids, the "weirdos", that one girl everyone loves - they all were relatable. Seeing them change and how they ended up in adulthood was also a nice touch that helped close the story.

When I read this book, I thought it was a very soft adult novel - but apparently it's a Young Adult novel! It's a really nice read that Young Adults could handle. It has some tough themes, but nothing graphic. I'm actually even happier that this book should be on a Young Adult shelf, so those readers can get the impact of this story in their environment.

Overall, this book is an emotional, yet melancholic ride that will pull at your heartstrings and play with your emotions. It's so well developed, it's hard to believe that this is a debut novel! It feels like an expert in his craft wrote it! I highly recommend this book, and it's a definite must read! I'm sad I didn't pick this book up years ago! What a truly fantastic novel!

PS - What a stunning cover! This cover calls out to me, even though it's so simple yet so elegant! What a gem!

Five out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. show less