Book Review: Sun Seekers by Rachel McRady

 

Rating:3.5⭐️

Six-year-old Gracie Lynn has devised a plan to break her grandfather out of the assisted living facility where he currently resides. She intends to go on an “adventure” with him and follow the sun, hoping their proximity to it would prevent the “worm” in her Grandfather’s brain from waking up because it’s the worm that makes him forget who she is – the simplistic explanation her mother, LeeAnn has provided her to explain her grandfather’s “episodes” resulting from dementia and sundown syndrome. Gracie loves her grandfather and his tall tales of his “adventures.” LeeAnn is wary of John, a result of a deep-rooted resentment stemming from her childhood compounded by his diagnosis and a few “incidents” in the recent past. LeeAnn, separated from her husband and responsible for her father, is raising Gracie alone and often at her wits’ end, also having to deal with the judgment she senses from other mothers in Gracie’s circle of friends. Her relationship with her sister is also strained and Dan, Gracie’s father, loves his daughter and is willing to share responsibility and help LeAnn if only she would let him, despite having since moved on after she left him on account of his infidelity. However, when Gracie and her grandfather disappear, she is compelled to work through her personal issues with her estranged sister, her resentment toward her husband and her own pain, in an effort to find Gracie and John.

Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Sun Seekers by Rachel McRady is an emotional story about family, forgiveness, grief and moving on The narrative is presented from the first-person perspectives of Gracie, LeAnn and Dan and the author does a remarkable job of weaving these voices into a fluid narrative. Gracie is an endearing character and her love and concern for her grandfather would melt your heart and I thoroughly enjoyed her unfiltered thoughts and reactions to the people and events around her. The author does a brilliant job of depicting the complex relationships and tension between the adult characters and the challenges faced by caregivers and the toll it takes on family members. I can’t say either Dan or LeeAnn were particularly likable characters though I could sympathize with their plight and everything they had endured both as individuals and as a couple. The author weaves in lighter moments in the form of John’s entertaining tall tales. I had mixed feelings about the bittersweet ending but overall, I found this novel to be a satisfying read that will touch a chord in your heart.

Many thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.