SuitabookSunshine to the Sunless
Gareth Thompson
- Reading
- Consider reading together or checking in after the quicksand incident and later references to Andy’s father. Let the reader set the pace for discussing either subject.
- Themes
- Memory and guilt: Andy is haunted by the deaths he witnessed as a child and is described as needing to let go of the past. The story connects a painful memory with Andy’s later efforts to face his past.
- Friendship and first love: Andy and Angie work together on a radio show, and their growing friendship is linked to Andy finding strength. The relationship is part of the book’s account of teenage self-discovery.
- Flowers and private interests: Andy’s grandfather teaches him to cross-breed daffodils; Andy finds solace in the flowers and keeps the hobby private. The hobby provides a contrasting strand alongside the story’s painful events.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes the horrific deaths of two people in quicksand, Andy’s continuing guilt about the event, and his father’s illness. These may invite a thoughtful check-in while reading.