January 2025

Tracey Lange is known for writing about families. These working-class individuals deal with issues that people come across every day. The way Tracey handles her characters is what makes her books so special.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS? opens with Kyle McCray seated in a restaurant in Spokane, Washington, where he is pondering heading back home to Potsdam, New York. He has been gone for two-and-a-half years, moseying his way across the country and taking a variety of jobs. His dad has had a stroke and needs his help, which is the only reason he is considering a return to Potsdam.

Living in this small town, which is very close to the border of Canada, is Kyle’s ex-wife, Casey. She juggles teaching middle school --- which includes keeping the kids who feel a bit on the outside as her lunch companions and lending a friendly ear --- with wrangling support for the school’s hockey team. She’s carrying a sadness with her that readers can feel as soon as they meet her.

Kyle and Casey are close to 40 and dealing with a whole lot of hurt between them. Casey had tragedy hit her life when a car accident killed her dad and left her brother wheelchair-bound. By staying in the same town where you went to high school, you are an older version of yourself. You are aware of the history of the people you see in the supermarket and at church --- and they know yours. It’s like you are in lockstep aging together, with memories and backstories locked into place.

Kyle’s reappearance is a smoother reentry than he had anticipated, though Casey is chilly. But when she recruits him to work with the hockey team, things begin to warm between them. A lot has happened to Casey in the time that Kyle was away, and it has taken a huge toll on her. They have plenty to work through to get themselves to a better place.

I loved WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS? As she has done in the past, Tracey has given readers terrific characters and a well-crafted story. For more insight into the book, be sure to watch or listen to my interview with Tracey.