My Sunshine Away, by M.O. Walsh (2015)
My Sunshine Away is a coming-of-age novel that is set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The title is a reference to the song You Are My Sunshine, the state song of Louisiana that was written by Jimmie Davis, the 47th Governor of Louisiana.
As a resident of Baton Rouge, I can attest to the fact that the author perfectly captures the heat and flavor of the city. He also captures the difference between Baton Rouge and its better known Louisiana city of New Orleans.
The novel opens up in the care-free summer of 1989 before there were cell phones. We also know in the first chapter that fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson was brutally raped. Twenty-plus years later, the narrator looks back at this summer when he was just a thirteen-year-old boy. He was just a naive child, who didn't fully understand the meaning of rape. He had an enormous crush on Lindy. At the time, there were four suspects to the crime, including the narrator because he had pictures and drawings of Lindy.
The narrator describes his neighborhood and its neighbors. He perfectly describes his impressions of the events and the people around him. In the years following the summer, he is awakening to his own sexuality and continuing his obsession with Lindy.
This book as beautifully written.
4 Stars
Read: June 22, 2026
