What Happened to the
McCrays? is the big question
in the third novel by Tracey Lange that was released January 14. Set in
Potsdam, New York, the story begins with Kyle McCray’s homecoming as he returns
from Spokane, Washington, to help his father while he recovers from a stroke.
Kyle left Potsdam two and a half years ago leaving behind his wife, his
father, his employees, and his friends. He headed West, using his skills as a mechanic
along the way, before settling in Spokane. He worries about the reception he
will receive in his hometown upon his return but the small-town community
embraces him: only his wife Casey keeps him at an arm’s length, having divorced
him a few months after he left home.
Having once played hockey himself, Kyle is offered a job coaching the middle
school hockey team that has been through a number of coaches with none of them
sticking to the job. Kyle struggles with his decision at first because Casey is
a teacher at the school and a sponsor of the hockey team, and he is concerned about
making her uncomfortable if he takes the job.
With a positive reception by the hockey players, their parents, the
community, and Casey herself, Kyle starts to think about staying in Potsdam even
longer than his father’s recuperation requires. The question is, can he do so
without making Casey feel uncomfortable, something he does not want to do since
he is still very much in love with her.
The novel is buoyed with love and courage as Kyle and Casey strive to come
to terms with redefining their relationship. Told in alternating segments of “Now”
and “Then,” the story reveals both sides of their failed marriage as they
finally deal with the devastating event that drove them apart.
New York native Tracey Lange completed a Stanford University online novel writing
class while writing her debut novel, We Are the Brennans. She lives with
her family in Bend, Oregon. She modeled Star, the German shepherd, in the McCray’s
story after her own dog.
