My Sunshine Away

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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 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 show more 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

My Sunshine Away is a moving and poignant coming of age narrative from debut author M.O. Walsh.

The unnamed narrator of My Sunshine Away is fourteen during the summer of 1989. He lives with his mother in middle class Baton Rouge, where he rakes leaves, plays baseball in the streets, chases the ice cream van and spies on the object of his obsessive crush, fifteen year old Lindy Simpson. One late summer evening his suburban idyll is disrupted when Lindy is is attacked on their street on her way home from a track practice.

This is a story of memory and hindsight, innocence and heartache, blessings and tragedy. Walsh brilliantly recalls the emotional intensity of adolescence, the confusion, the conviction, the naivete, and the regrets that show more can linger into adulthood. He highlights the joy and melancholy of first love, the shock of first disappointments, and the way in which these things stay with us.

The intensity of the first person narrative is tempered slightly by the adult perspective as the narrator segues between recall and rumination of Lindy's rape and the aftermath.

"Every moment is crucial. And if we recognize this and embrace it, we will one day be able to look back and understand and feel and regret and reminisce and, if we are lucky, cherish."

Referencing defining events such as the Challenger explosion, the capture of Jeffrey Dahmer and Hurricane Katrina, Walsh evokes nostalgia for long summer days on neighborhood streets, before the advent of cell phones and the internet. He explores the way in which the experiences of childhood and adolescence help to shape who we become as adults, but also the ways in which our memories of that time may be deeply flawed.

"But for every adult person you look up to in life there is trailing behind them an invisible chain gang of ghosts, all of which, as a child, you are generously spared from meeting."

Evocative, tender and sincere My Sunshine Away is an absorbing, beautifully observed tale. show less

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. On the one hand it is exceptionally well written. It’s character building and description of the setting and the scenario are excellent. On the other hand, I seriously wanted to wring the unnamed narrator’s neck. He was totally obsessed with this girl yet for years never bothered to do anything about it. In addition, he seemed to be attracted to what he perceived as a neediness in Lindy which is a total recipe for disaster. Granted, my anger at him could be because I saw him making the same mistakes I made growing up, minus the binoculars and photo montages.

Some reviewers were bold enough to compare this book to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Aside from the fact that both were about kids show more growing up in the South there was little common ground between the two. The one similarity that I did see and found striking was that in each book there was a neighbor’s house that emitted a sense of menace. In both cases, the father lurked about the neighborhood and frightened the children. Even the names, Radley in TKaM and Landry in MSA, are practically anagrams of each other. show less

I really loved this book. Our narrator, writing as an adult in present day, tells us of his teenage years in Piney Creek Louisiana, centering on the summer of 1989 when his neighbor, Lindy, was raped. This book is really two things: it's a mystery surrounding the crime and who could have committed it and it's a reflection on memory and how we are affected by them.

First, the mystery. It was compelling and there are clues peppered throughout. I thought I knew what would happen but nothing (and everything) was as it seemed. There are a few creepy scenes (not horror or paranormal creepy, just voyeuristic and invasive) and the book is very atmospheric.

That brings me to my next point. I loved the description of the setting. I felt like I was show more experiencing a Louisiana summer; like I could really feel the heat and humidity, see the moss hanging from the trees, feel the sweat dripping, and taste the lemonade. Even the mood of the community as a whole was felt. The author really created a complete sense of place.

Where this book really shines, though, is in the recollection of youth. The narrator describes his memories with a nostalgia that is very relatable but also with a wisdom that can only come from a lifetime of experiences. Anyone who grew up in the 80's will recognize references to the Challenger explosion, Jeffrey Dahmer, talking for hours on the phone before there was internet and call waiting, running around the neighborhood until (and sometimes after) dark with friends. In many ways, the 80's marked the death of innocence for our society in general, and this narrator's reflections on his childhood mark the death of his. It's a great parallel.

Many readers may be put off by how this book is paced and structured. It's told in bits and pieces that are mostly in order but occasionally veer off onto what seem like unrelated events, much like the recollection of memory. Some readers may feel these are parenthetical scenes but I felt that they all tied in to the overall growth of the narrator. Indeed, this book is much more about the narrator than it is about Lindy and her rape.

Overall, I really loved this one. The nostalgia, the atmosphere, the importance of memory viewed from a distance of years, all of these things were great. I loved the writing. I loved that the author captured the feeling of adolescence so perfectly. I found it very hard to put this book down and highly recommend it. In fact, my original rating after finishing was 4 stars but I just can't stop thinking about this one and the more I think about it the more I love it. For that reason, I'm bumping this up to 5 stars and I'm pleased to own a physical copy for my bookshelf.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. show less

My Sunshine Away is an absolutely outstanding debut novel by M.O. Walsh. Part character study, part mystery, this riveting coming of age story is poignant, thought-provoking and quite intriguing. It is a very atmospheric and rather nostalgic tale that recounts a young man's first love and the guilt and regret from a fateful summer that continue to reverberate well past adolescence.

Set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during 1989, a quiet suburban street is rocked by a shocking crime. Early one summer evening, sixteen-year old Lindy Simpson is the victim of an horrific assault and while there are many suspects, the case is never officially solved. Lindy's neighbor, a fourteen year old boy, is deeply affected by the crime and years later, his show more unresolved guilt and regret from that time period prompt him to write his account of the long ago events.

The narrator of the story harbors an unrequited crush on Lindy and his awkward attempts to capture her attention are cringe worthy and border on obsession. He also counts himself among the list of suspects which makes him a rather unreliable narrator. Can his recollection of the events be trusted? Are his memories biased in his favor? No, he cuts himself no slack as he writes about his activities and describes in excruciating (and oftentimes embarrassing) detail the different ways he tries to capture Lindy's heart. Is he just an innocent young man earnestly trying to garner his true love's favor? Or is there a more sinister motive for his somewhat obsessive behavior? Or is he simply a young man who is trying to escape his own unhappy home life by fixating on someone else?

One by one, the narrator slowly divulges the identities of the other suspects. The narration goes off in seemingly unconnected directions as possible motives are revealed but each of the suspects is eventually cleared. Throughout the story, the neighborhood's secrets are also brought to light after the narrator decides that he needs to bring the perpetrator to justice so Lindy can finally put a face and name to her attacker.

My Sunshine Away is an incredibly well-written novel that is quite captivating. The plot is fascinating and the setting is brought vividly to life. The characters are fully developed and life-like. The time period is absolutely perfect and provides a certain degree of innocence and naiveté that would not be possible after the advent of cell phones, the internet and video games. But the most compelling part of storyline is learning who is responsible for Lindy's attack and M.O. Walsh does a brilliant job of obscuring the perpetrator's identity and the reason for the narrator's guilt right up until the novel's conclusion. All in all, a superb debut novel that I highly recommend. show less