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Six-year-old Gracie Lynn is perpetually curious and big-hearted. Convinced she knows how to save her beloved grandfather John from the “worm” that is eating his brain—a metaphor her mother once used to explain John’s dementia and sundown syndrome—she helps him break out of his nursing home, and the two disappear together on a quest to chase the sun. But what’s an adventure for Gracie is a nightmare scenario for her estranged parents, LeeAnn and Dan. There’s no way to predict where John might have taken their young daughter, or if he’s capable of keeping her safe.
Jaded beyond her years, and struggling with her own mental health, LeeAnn has no delusions about what might happen if they don’t locate Gracie soon. Dan is no less frantic, but communicating with LeeAnn isn’t easy, even under the circumstances—too much stands between the hopeful young couple they once were and the people they’ve become.
An emotionally resonant novel for fans of Fredrik Backman and Mark Haddon, Sun Seekers artfully explores the truths of parenthood, the ways in which we sometimes hurt those we love most, and the universal experience of deep loss—even when the person is still here.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 9, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781639104987
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781639104987
- File size: 679 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 20, 2023
Entertainment Tonight writer McRady’s cookie-cutter debut revolves around a family in crisis. Six-year-old Gracie Lynn has disappeared with her grandfather “Big John,” who was recently diagnosed with dementia. The girl’s overprotective and downtrodden mother, LeeAnn Abernathy, is beside herself when she hears the news. A parallel narrative from Gracie Lynn’s perspective conveys her naivete: by liberating Big John from his nursing home, she believes she can help cure his disease. As the two visit Big John’s favorite haunts around town, he has memory and cognitive lapses—he calls Gracie Lynn by his daughter’s name and thinks he can teach her how to drive. Meanwhile, Gracie Lynn’s father, Dan, who left LeeAnn for another woman two years ago, steps up and joins the search, along with the PTA moms from Gracie Lynn’s school and LeeAnn’s distant older sister, Sarah. Will Dan and LeeAnn come to a rapprochement? Can they find their daughter and Big John before something terrible happens? Unfortunately, the insightful view of dementia’s impact on a family is undermined by one-dimensional characters such as the stereotypical PTA members, one of whom LeeAnn views as competition for Dan. McRady’s attempt to affect a Hallmark movie vibe falls short. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency. -
November 1, 2023
Gracie Lynn, aged six (almost seven!) has a plan. Her mother explained that her grandfather has a worm in his brain that only bothers him when the sun goes down, so Grace is going to take him on an adventure to chase the sun. When Lee Ann, a single mother, finds her daughter and her difficult father gone, she is distraught; she realizes that she must do the unthinkable: call her estranged husband, Dan, and her too-perfect sister, Sarah, for help. McRady's debut takes the reader on each character's journey dealing with the sudden disappearance of Gracie and her grandfather and what that means for their well-being and their futures with (or without) each other. McRady's handling of each character's growth is magnificent, and she painstakingly highlights the difficulties and the heartbreak of a family's breakdown after several tragedies. Sun Seekers is a beautiful tribute to the suffering and hard-earned growth of these characters as they navigate the changes wrought by age and the unexpected gifts of coming back together.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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