Read, Run, Ramble

Title: My Sunshine Away

Author: M.O. Walsh

Genre: Literature/Fiction

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books

Publication Date: February 10, 2015

Format: egalley via First to Read by Penguin Group

Synopsis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review (published at Read, Run, Ramble):

Thank you First to Read by Penguin Group for providing me with an early copy of this book!

Coming of age, an unreliable narrator, a violent crime, and an idealistic neighborhood – Walsh mixes it all up and then shakes it up a little.

In My Sunshine Away a small and quiet neighborhood in Baton Rouge experiences a violent crime. One with many suspects, but no convictions. The crime shakes the neighborhood, especially a small group of young friends whose worlds are significantly changed by the aftermath.

Using familiar historical events, Walsh depicts one young person’s coming of age tale. The Challenger explosion, Hurricane Katrina, the exposure of Jeffrey Dahmer – they’re all used as a backdrop to the unreliable narrator’s life and story. From the beginning, it is difficult to securely decide whether to trust the narrator or not. At times he’s funny, others he’s morose, and others he’s seemingly mentally unstable. He feels an enormous amount of guilt for the crime that took place in his neighborhood, but why is completely unclear.

I liked the way Walsh used his narrator in this way. The writing and the inconsistency of the narrator really keeps a reader on his/her toes, and makes the urge to continue on late into the evening quite strong.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not compensated for any of my reviews.