The Sun’s Shadow by Sejal Badani
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by ChollaCeline’s life is spiraling out of control. She’s in danger of losing the beloved equestrian farm that was her childhood home. Her distant husband, Eric, is devoting a suspicious amount of time to a stunning new colleague. Then her young son, Brian, receives a devastating cancer diagnosis. As her life falls apart, she faces an impossible fight
Felicity has uprooted her career and her teenage son, Justin, to get closer to Eric. She’s tired of keeping his secrets—that Eric’s frequent “business trips” have been time spent with her and Justin. Felicity is determined to get her happily ever after, even if it means confronting Celine at a delicate time.
But when Brian’s prognosis worsens, and a transplant from Justin becomes his best chance at survival, Felicity must make a wrenching decision about her son’s well-being—and Celine must accept that the “other woman” is her only hope.
In another life Celine and Felicity might have been friends. Can they put aside the pain between them to do what’s best for their families—and their own futures?
Celine thought her life was going well. She’s running her childhood horse farm, has a successful husband, a smart and athletic son, everything she thought she ever wanted. And then, the worst thing imaginable happens and Ben, her twelve-year-old son, is diagnosed with cancer.
Throughout the whole book, Celine shows a lot of strength and courage. She has moments of pettiness and anger, both of which are understandable. I liked the way that she didn’t focus completely on Ben though, which might sound weird at first, but she spread her focus between her sick son and her horse farm – both of which are her lifelines in this crazy situation. She gave Ben a ton of attention, but she didn’t make herself, or him, crazy by hovering either.
On the flip side, you have Felicity, the proverbial other woman. She’s made the bold choice to move closer to her one-time lover and father of her son, even if it means putting pressure and hurt feelings onto his wife and younger, sick son. In a lot of ways, I understand Felicity’s motives, however, she comes across as being very selfish in the beginning. Something that is also understandable to a point. Some of her choices did not paint her in a very good light, although, underneath it all, you can see that she’s only trying to protect her son, Justin, too.
While I can understand each of the women’s insecurities and fears, often their anger was misplaced. I found they directed it at each other more often than at the actual culprit – Eric. He’s the one who kept secrets and lied to not just his wife and former mistress, but from his children as well. However, I do have a lot of empathy for both women because they’re only trying to do what’s best for their own children. It’s a complicated situation that I wouldn’t ever want to be involved in.
Truthfully, the best part of the entire story were the times when Justin and Ben were together. The boys instantly found a connection, even without knowing they were related. It warmed my heart to see their friendship grow so quickly.
The Sun’s Shadow is a complicated, intense, and modern look at how a family operates, and what happens when everything you thought you knew is suddenly blown up. It’s a story of how two women who swear to hate each other manage to find common ground and a way to work together for the benefit of their children. This is a great novel for anyone who enjoys complex family drama, horses, and kids who love soccer. I’d love to have a follow up novel or novella telling us how they’re all doing five years down the road, too.
I moved from the Midwest to the desert southwest when I was four, meaning I know very little about weather that isn’t either hot and dry, or cold-ish and dry. Rainstorms are few and far between here, which makes them extra special when we do get them.
When I was a child, my grandparents lived in Phoenix, AZ. My grandfather had screened in his back porch so that he could sit outside, away from the bugs and the scorching sun, and read his paper. But I discovered that I loved sitting out there with a book during those afternoon monsoons. The sound of the drops hitting the aluminum cover, the cool breeze, and the peace it brought me was amazing. I miss being able to experience that. My back patio isn’t screened in, but it does have a cover. Hopefully, if we have a more normal monsoon season this year, I can try and recreate that experience as an adult. Thankfully, my Kobo is waterproof, just in case.
