"An absorbing page-turner, equal parts light and dark, and filled with
the sweetest, swooniest ache. Everyone needs to read Jenny Torres
Sanchez. Now." --JENNIFER NIVEN, New York Times bestselling author of
All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe
**From the backyards of suburban Florida to the parched desert of New
Mexico, Because of the Sun explores the complexity of family, the
saving grace of friendship, and the healing that can begin when the
truth is brought to light.
**
Dani learned to tolerate her existence in suburban Florida with her
brash and seemingly unloving mother by embracing the philosophy Why
care? It will only hurt. So when her mother is killed in a sudden and
violent manner, Dani goes into an even deeper protection mode: total
numbness. It's the only way she can go on.
But when Dani chooses The Stranger by Albert Camus as summer reading
for school, it feels like fate. The main character's alienation after
his mother's death mirrors her own.
Dani's life is thrown into further turmoil when she is sent to New
Mexico to live with an aunt she never knew she had. The awkwardness
between them is palpable. To escape, Dani takes long walks in the
merciless heat. One day, she meets Paulo, who understands how much Dani
is hurting. Although she is hesitant at first, a mutual trust and
affection develops between them. And as she and her aunt begin to
connect, Dani learns about her mother's past. Forgiving isn't easy, but
maybe it's the only way to move forward.
