A Trace of Sun

by Pam Williams

‘Don’t go Mammy please.’ Stuttered words filled her ears, sent frissons of guilt through her as she bent over him; held him to her thumping chest. Tears sliding from her face to his.Raef is left behind in Grenada when his mother, Cilla, follows her husband to England in search of a better life. When they are finally reunited seven years later, they are strangers – and the emotional impact of the separation leads to events that rip their family apart. As they try to move forward with their lives, his mother’s secret will make Raef question all he’s ever known of who he is.

A Trace of Sun is, in part, inspired by the author’s own family experiences.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Family, Audiobook, Book Club, Drama

389 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Layered, shattering and engaging.

We are taken to the island of Grenada where we meet a family that is about to be ripped apart. Raef is the oldest of Cilla children, they live in a tiny cottage in a seaside town in Grenada. Cilla is trying to make ends meet but with two children and a husband in England who hardly sends money, she depends on the kindness of those around her and her sister. One day, her husband sends for her and her younger son, she is forced to leave Raef behind with her sister but promises to file for him.

Cilla moves to England and is shocked by what she encounters. She misses her son but is now pregnant with her third child and must work even harder to help provide for everyone. After years of promising Cilla is finally able to bring Raef over to England, but this changes the dynamic of their family for good.

A Trace of Sun is a strong exploration of what happens when families get ripped apart in search of greener pastures. Yes, we have all read an immigration story, but this one gets to the core of what we lose when leave. I love that the author wrote from the perspective of the three characters, you really felt a part of their family.

A strong novel that I will continue to think about.

[Scott Baird (Gunpowder Fiction and Plot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a really good book. Fanatic storytelling, great characters, big themes, lots of emotions.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women's Prize Longlist

I thought this was going to be a story of immigration and adapting to a new life in the UK, and the difficulties and prejudices that come with it. That's a story I've already read several times and have never fully connected with. But, about a third of the way into A Trace of Sun, I realised it is so much more! Yes, the above is the starting point but it goes deeper into the story of a family; what brings them together and what drives them apart.

The novel covers a long period of time and a wide range of issues and themes, as did, coincidentally, the last book I listened to. However A Trace of Sun does this much more successfully in my opinion.

As excited as I get for the reveal of the Women's Prize Longlist, I'm often quite disappointed in some of the books nominated. It's finding great books I hadn't previously heard of (like this and Black Butterflies last year!) that keeps me coming back to the WP.

I struggle to take the plunge and give the full five stars sometimes, but I'm doing it here. My favourite of the 4 longlisters I've read so far and hope to see it shortlisted.

[Sarah AF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very much a book of two halves for me, the first half feeling like a sure-fire 4* read and the second half falling into several plot-cliché pitfalls that didn't feel necessary and felt like twists for the sake of twists in what had been an emotionally-led exploration of the ramifications of an impossible choice.

Starting in Grenada, the choice fell to Cilla as she faced following her husband to England with the dream of building a better life - harbouring a secret pregnancy as she contemplated this move - knowing it would come at the cost of leaving behind their son Raef until they could afford his transport fees. When we met Cilla, she lived with hunger in her bones as she sought to put her children first in the poverty that they existed in. With another child on the way and the pureness of her belief that Raef would follow shortly behind, she made the decision to sail to England which created a chasm that would never be bridged between them. As days turned to months to years, Cilla made a life with her financially-reckless husband in England and their children Davey and Luci, while Raef was left behind in a family that embraced him but, ultimately, wasn't his own. When passage was finally arranged, it only reinforced Raef's feelings as an outsider with his own family as his father belittled him and he felt a growing resentment towards the sister he had never known. As he grappled with these feelings and spiralled into mental health struggles and then psychosis, the consequences of his abandonment were felt across the family and proved to be the ultimate fracture.

The rawness and helplessness of both Cilla and Raef's feelings as they tried to connect, tried to be a family once again and then faced estrangement were so astutely portrayed and I particularly loved the friendship that Cilla forged with Jackie as she struggled with her guilt and felt herself torn between her duties to each of her children. Sometimes there is no "right" decision, just an individual trying to do their best to live a life and get through each day and I really felt that in both Raef and Cilla and the decisions that they took.

Towards the end, there was a reveal that had been brewing but ultimately wasn't necessary in what had previously been such a grounded, thoughtful story. There were similar twists down the line that also felt too deliberate and plot-driven which took the shine off somewhat for me. Still, a book that I very much enjoyed reading and which I found myself thinking about often even when I wasn't reading it.

[Sarah (sarahanneisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Chris L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a potentially good story here, but the novel is way too long. IT should have been over 100 pages less than it is. We're also expected to care about a character I don't think deserves the empathy. Too much of the novel also feels like exposition, and there's a plot twist about the past that feels unnecessary and cruel.

[Catherine Booknooksandlatte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longlisted for the #womensprizeforfiction I can not understand how this didn’t fly straight into the short list.

‘Life refused to hang up its hobnailed boots and stop kicking her. Through hardship after hardship, she’d fought on; she’d finally arrived at a place and time to enjoy being alive.’

Spanning the 1960s to the 1990s, A Trace of Sun follows the life of Raef who is left behind in Grenada when his mother Cilla made the difficult decision to leave her homeland with her youngest son Davey to follow her husband to London. Raef is left in the loving care of his aunt and dear cousin Carlton but traumatised with feelings of abandonment, resentment, and fear.

Seven years pass when he finally receives his ticket to fly to the UK to join his family. Those seven years have been tumultuous and traumatic for Cilla as she followed her husband Sonny from run down bedsit to shared house. With a husband who squandered his wages on partying and women, it’s up to Cilla to work every hour she can to get a suitable home for Raef to move to along with Davey and his little sister Luci.

When Raef arrives, it is a shock for both Raef and Cilla that it is not all happy families. Sonny persecutes and belittles his eldest son daily, and Raef feels immense anger, resentfulness, and jealousy towards his sister Luci. He looks different as a young man, and they all look and act differently. Raef becomes introverted as he negates this strange new family, country, school, and weather. He wants to punish his mother for hurting him, leaving him behind and replacing him with Luci. Cilla is distraught at her husband and son's behaviour, ends the marriage, and tries to repair the damage and broken bonds between her son and her family. Burdened by a dark secret that becomes more heavy as the years pass by, Cilla is forced to confront her past when Raef's life self implodes and threatens to ruin his sibling's lives.

This is an incredible book that deals with the pain and hardship that immigration forces upon families. It is a book that does not ease you into the life of Raef and Cilla slowly, I was immediately like a fly on the wall in the sweltering heat of Granada, my heart broke for young Raef and Pam's writing so cleverly has you equally invested in both protagonists. It is impossible not to feel the raw pain, anger, fear, frustration, and admiration for both Raef and Cilla. I wanted to physically throttle Raef, yet in the same breath, I felt such sadness for him and his predicament. Cilla is such a powerful character. It is impossible not to love her and revere her strength and stamina when facing such a barrage of adversity. I really hope this is just the beginning of Pam Williams' career in writing as if this is a debut. I am in awe of what will come next already. This is a novel that contains may include triggering subjects for readers, so do research this if concerned. This is a book that would open up great dialogue in book clubs and among older teens in school due to the array of topics that are covered so empathetically.

[Helen_t_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raef is left behind in Grenada when his mother, Cilla, follows her husband to England in search of a better life. When they are finally reunited seven years later, they are strangers – and the emotional impact of the separation leads to events that rip their family apart. As they try to move forward with their lives, his mother’s secret will make Raef question all he’s ever known of who he is.

A Trace of Sun is, in part, inspired by the author’s own family experiences, and it explores really important and challenging themes including immigration, identity, severe mental ill-health and its impact upon the family.

It is unflinching, and often raw in its depiction of these issues, but it is always sensitively done.

The prose is beautifully written throughout, and Pam Williams has superb descriptive powers, which enable her to deftly conjure up images and capture people, places and feelings for the reader.
My only slight criticism is that the pacing of the novel is just a little uneven in parts, but it doesn't detract from the reader's enjoyment or experience of the novel.

The narrative takes a linear approach, to recounting Cilla's and Raef's life-stories, but, it is occasionally interspersed with scenes from the past which both teases the reader into initially drawing a conclusion (later to be proved wrong), whilst slowly revealing more and more of the truth, and widening our perspective and understanding.

The characters are well realised and developed, and they are all impacted by the challenges and difficulties they face: the emotional trauma of familial separation and its resulting consequences; their respective experiences of immigration to Britain; a catastrophic mental breakdown - and these aspects are well observed and powerfully rendered.

What links this novel's main characters - in addition to the major experiences of separation, immigration and mental ill-health - is the fact that at some points in their lives they all make bad choices and decisions, but for what they see as the right reasons at the time. Something which they all come to understand and recognise, and they have to live with the resulting consequences.

Pam Williams' masterful handling of these issues, and the development of her characters, elicits the reader's sympathy, compassion and understanding for all them.

This powerful novel is a compelling read, and offers both a tribute to and an insight into the Windrush generation and their experiences, especially the trauma of familial separation which isn't often talked about. It leaves the reader with much to think about.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book from last year’s Women’s Prize longlist. This one centres around Raef and his mother, Cilla, and it follows their lives across several decades, set between Grenada and England.

My main impression - it was just so bleak. For a book titled "A Trace of Sun", it was almost relentlessly sun-less. None of the characters lead easy lives. The contrast between the two settings - Grenada and England - is stark and beautifully written, and that’s definitely one of the highlights for me.

The story spans decades, which gives a wide view of how childhood experiences can ripple into adulthood, but it also made the characterisation feel a bit thin at times. I found myself wanting to stay with certain moments and characters longer instead of being pulled ahead in time.

The depiction of mental health, particularly how “being left behind” can affect a child, was brutal and heartbreaking - probably the most powerful part of the book for me.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was brilliant. The dialect added an extra layer of immersion to the setting.

I’d say this is a tough but rewarding read. It’s a worthy addition to last year’s longlist, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for an emotional, multi-generational story that really brings its settings to life.

3.75/5 ⭐

[Marshamariella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The commences where Raef is left behind in Grenada when his mom journeys to England with his younger sibling to join her husband and make a better life and then send for him. It takes a few years before he soon joins them but has forever grappled with abandonment issues and feeling like an outsider within the family. Betrayal and secrets that maybe should have been revealed years ago have infested the relationships among the family leading to alienation, bitterness and separation. I felt that we didn’t get a peek at how Luci felt or should I say her point of view when the traumatic incident occurred with her and Raef that forever shattered their relationship as brother and sister. Also some parts of the books could have been explored more or further elaborated.
All in all I liked the book a lot.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Women's Prize longlisted book has many strong features. At its heart, A TRACE OF SUN is a family story, and an exploration of how family secrets can lead to intergenerational trauma and mental illness. I appreciated this book's multidimensional characters and the author's willingness to take her time telling the story, thoroughly exploring the perspective of Cilla and her son Raef. The scenes were portrayed in such minute detail that things were easy to picture and the complexity of human reactions to various situations made this a very human story. I also don't know if I've ever read a book about a Grenadian family, and appreciated this book's look at Grenadian immigrants to England in the mid 20th century. Finally, I feel this book largely succeeded in providing a sensitive and nuanced exploration of how mental illness can devastate an entire family.
Given all of this, it is easy to see why this book made the Women's Prize longlist, and for the most part, I think it deserves its place there. Two things really diminished my appreciation of the book, however. First of all, Pam Williams is a talented writer, and I admired her ability to draw out the small details of a scene to make it more vivid. However. She uses sentence fragments. A lot. Like too much. Kind of like this. But not really..... I've made my point. A little more variety in sentence length would have done nicely, however this critique reflects my personal preference more than anything. The other critique may also be personal to me, but I think it will bother more people, so it is worth mentioning. One of the main characters, Raef, develops schizophrenia, and as a result begins sexually assaulting his younger sister. While I am sure this happens, I found it an odd choice to combine the issue of mental health and psychosis so closely with the issue of incest, since many people with mental health diagnoses have never and will never sexually assault anyone. I also thought it was an odd sort of redemption that after years of never being able to confront his sister or apologize for what he did, Raef is the hero in the end because he apparently saves her from getting hit by a car. That seemed really convenient to me. Like really convenient. Dropped it from a high four star to a lowish three. I recognize the value of a book like A TRACE OF SUN. Sadly, it wasn't for me in the end.

[Michaela Mccollin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a slow start that I nearly gave up on. It may have been longer than needed but trauma processing can involve rumination and repetitive thoughts, feelings and conversations so could this make it more realistic.

The dying (not death) of Cilla moved me and was so three dimensional, it really moved me. I also appreciated the way the monotony of everyday all of sudden leads to destruction was portrayed.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Farzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

"Blame circumstance. The trauma of separation. Too much cannabis. Emotions pent up too long, eating him from the inside out. He could speculate over a million things. And never know for sure what caused it."

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book and was gripped for the first maybe 3/4.

Frank being with Cilla felt like a very deliberate trick to the reader which kind of betrayed my trust 😆 maybe I'm being melodramatic.

Frank is put as being someone who messed up their lives - but he hasn't completely. What messed it up was the fact that Isadora died and Cilla didn't tell Sonny about Raef's father. I guess if Frank hadn't been around then Isa wouldn't have got pregnant, but Cilla's baby would have still died. I guess Frank is the catalyst for the situation, but Cilla caused the issues. I just sometimes find books where the whole plot hinges on one single thing that did or did not happen a little frustrating unless it's justified like really, really well.

It's a very good book anyway, and I'm pleased I read it. The beginning especially, and the emotions that went with it all.. absolutely brilliant.

[Bethan Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ughhh I so wanted to like this more than I did! Especially since it’s a book about Grenada which are few and far between. Subject matter good and I liked the descriptions of the conflicting emotions of Cilla and Raef, and there were parts in the middle where I was really getting into it… but ultimately the characters fell a bit flat for me and at times the book was too depressing without much else (and that’s saying something for me!). Also the Eastenders style plot twist at the end felt gimmicky and unnecessary, pushing it to a 3 star for meee

[Jediam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist. This was #13 from the list that I've read, so I found myself inevitably reading with part of my brain comparing it to the other books on the list.

Very mixed feelings about this one. I didn't think the writing was quite as polished or as deft as some of the other books on the longlist -- a big weak point was definitely the beginning where the author writes from a child's perspective but it just feels like an adult writing a child, and that sets a shaky tone. Nonetheless, 200 pages in, I found I was completely invested in the characters, especially Cilla, and read into the night. Unfortunately, the ending also felt like a miss. After some big (and successful!) swings mid-plot, the ending just felt like a gimmicky, coincidental cop-out.

Overall, I rate it 3.5⭐but I'm curious to see how much of the story stays with me over time, and it could go up or down.

[Michallia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book defied my expectations, taking me on an unpredictable emotional journey. Initially skeptical, I was blown away by its layered storytelling and nuanced exploration of mental health, identity, family issues, loss, and regret.

Through multiple perspectives, I gained a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding these themes. The characters' authenticity resonated deeply, leaving a lasting impact.

One profound takeaway: empathy is a beautiful gift. Life's choices aren't always clear-cut, and standing firm in our decisions requires courage. Not everyone will agree, but understanding – not approval – is often what's needed.

However, some narrative threads lost me, and certain sections felt overly verbose (-1 star).

Overall, this book will linger in my thoughts for months. Its masterful storytelling and empathetic lessons make it a compelling read.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been a book I appreciated, but somehow it just felt like hard work. It felt somewhat like awards bait. Some elements felt quite superficial and lacking in realism, particularly the treatment of mental illness and the chapters dealt with from a child's perspective. This, coupled with the fragmentary sentences, was a turn-off for me: I only finished because I try to finish all the major award longlists.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who you is? Was it a waking thought or a drifting-to-sleep one? Was he asking or being asked? He lay on his back, fistfuls of the bedspread clutched to his sides. If he looked about him, what might he see? Who? Eyelids squeezed tighter so as not to find out.
Did this happen to everyone? Did Mammy or Luci or Davey, anyone else, have an invisible sentinel trapped within? More than one? Questioning their decisions? Forcing their own on to them? Talking, talking, talking?
Maybe it was his subconscious. Speaking aloud. His conscience articulating truths he preferred to deny; lies it wanted him to believe. There were times, like when Mammy handed him a plate of food, when an urge swamped him. To grab her wrist. Ask, ‘You hear them?’ Make her listen. How stupid would he sound? Crazy?
The rambling was growing more constant. Interrupting him more often. Making bad choices that he couldn’t supplant

I read this book due to its longlisting for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

It is the debut novel of a 63-year-old North London born (only two months after her parents moved over from Grenada) ex fashion journalist, freelance stylist, foster-carer and now special needs teacher – and while a debut it shows the weight and experience of her life.

The book starts like a conventional if well written 1950/1960s Caribbean migrant to London narrative but is distinguished by two related elements:

Firstly, an examination of separation, the many families that, due to economic circumstances, were split by migration with parents and young children moving to London with older siblings staying behind and being cared for by friends and family;

Secondly, a very real and often painful explicit examination of mental health issues.

And these themes play out over some nearly 35 years in short episodic extracts which proceed largely chronologically (although with a pivotal flashback section).

As the author has explained in an interview in “The Voice” the book is autobiographically inspired and informed (and in fact had its roots in a failed attempt to write a conventional biography of her mother):

My mother came to London in 1960 bringing my brother who was two and a half years old, and pregnant with me. But she left four children behind. I first met two of my siblings when I was seven and they joined us in London. By then my two eldest sisters were over sixteen and because of changes in immigration laws were too old to come. I met them when I visited Grenada aged nine. My sister and brother had to adapt to life in England and seemed to do so well. But in his mid-twenties my brother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Those are the two themes I used to weave my story of Cilla and Raef. I wanted to explore the emotional trauma of separation that so many people from the Caribbean endured and consider how that might have impacted Raef’s mental health.

It opens in June 1960, with Mammy (who we later know as Cilla) telling her 7 year old son Raef of a dream when “I sit down on a big white bird … It swoop through the sky … in the distance your father deh waiting for me”. with only one month later Cilla trying to explain to an uncomprehending Raef that she is going to England to join her husband/his father Sonny with her younger 2-year-old son Davey but with Raef living with her sister (Auntie Dell) until such time as they can afford to bring him over to London.

Her passage is finally made in October, after a difficult parting from a devastated and still uncomprehending Raef. And her arrival is equally difficult as Sonny is dismayed that she has concealed a pregnancy from him; with her daughter Luci born in early 1961.

In the end it is 7 years before Raef finally flies to London, we getting brief glimpses of his life in Grenada. In London he immediately feels distanced from his family after the years of separation and quickly forms a deliberate resentment of Luci who he feels has stolen the mother he remembers from him.

And further over time Raef seems to have a insurmountable barrier “a widening division” in his relationship with the ever hectoring Sonny (who he stops addressing as his father, increasingly lapsing into a sullen silence).

As Cilla tries to unravel Sonny’s attitude she realises that, struck by how Raef appears not to have the clear family resemblance to him of Davey and Luci, Sonny suspects Raef of being the product of an affair between Cilla and Frank (the playboy boyfriend of Cilla’s best friend Isadora) and that in turn puts a wedge into Cilla and Sonny’s relationship, exacerbated by Sonny’s increasingly wayward behaviour.

The story moves forward over time. Cilla and Sonny’s relationship hits crisis. Meanwhile Raef is increasingly plagued by voices in his head (an “internal co-conspirator”) and when Davey moves out from home to an emotional farewell from Cilla, he is reminder of the day she abandoned him in Grenada and the “incessant discourse in his head” gets louder, as does his resentment of Luci, with Raef becoming increasingly erratic in appearance and behaviour culminating in a dramatic incident which ends with Raef in a psychiatric unit (in 1976) and rips the family apart with Luci lapsing into recurring alcohol abuse.

Some 16 years later cancer forces Cilla to finally be honest about a secret and this and some chance encounters force her family back together.

I am never a great fan of secrets known to characters and repeatedly hinted at in novels which are either first person or (as here) close third person. In this case we are first told that there is a secret about Raef’s birth on page 19 (of 389) but are not given the details until page 300. On one level I think this is justified – its is clear that Cilla is deliberately avoiding the truth herself – but it still did seem artificial. Further when the secret is revealed it is both long-guessed in its substance but relying on a very dramatic and too coincidence dependent episode in its detail. And the theme of coincidences (particularly chance encounters) and of dramatic incidents rather punctate the novel including its ending.

But overall there is a lot to like in the novel – a story which is both unexpectedly dark and deep (particularly in the passages around Raef’s mental illness) and complex characters portrayed with empathy.

He blinked as a trace of sun broke free from the cover of heavy cloud; shone on him through the dusty panes. I can be her big brother. A proper one this time. If she’ll let me. They’d gelled back then. For a while. Maybe they could again.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5. This was not the story I was expecting. I thought it was would be an immigration story and life settling in the UK from the Windrush generation. But it’s a family drama, love, loss and secrets. There is a lot going on and it covers nearly 40 years so I felt it was lacking some development of plot points and new characters. But the overall story was captivating.

Cilla and her husband Sonny live in Grenada. They have 2 sons Davey and Raef. In 1960 Sonny seizes an opportunity to come to the UK (during the migration of workers from commonwealth nations) and goes with Davey. Cilla follows later whilst pregnant with Luci. She leaves Raef behind to be raised by her sister. 7 years later Raef joins them in the UK and is jealous of Luci and the family bond they all have. Sonny is disparaging of Raef. As the kids grow up Raef starts getting dark thoughts and attacks Luci. He is sectioned and treated for schizophrenia. Cilla and Sonny divorce. Raef chooses to distance himself from the family. Luci tells her mum that Raef sexually assaulted her and Cilla is conflicted about her relationship with Raef. Raef moves on with his life, he meets Jay and he becomes a new man. He never sees his mother again.
Cilla meanwhile always wishes she could see Raef again, Luci has turned into a wild child. Cilla is diagnosed with breast cancer. As she is dying to she admits that Raef isn’t her baby, she was pregnant in Grenada same time as her best friend Isadora. They went into labor together, Isadora died and so did Cilla’s baby. The midwife tells her to raise Isadora’s child as her own. So she did without telling anyone including Sonny. When she tells Luci, Luci flips as Cilla didn’t tell her this when Raef had assaulted her. Cilla writes a letter to Raef to confess. She dies, Raef is a shadow at the funeral learning that she had died through his social worker. He tells Jay everything (she didn’t know he had been sectioned, attacked his sister etc)
He then receives Cillas letter and learns the truth about his birth parents. He goes to see Luci to make amends. They bump into each other in the street, Luci is pushed into the road of a car. Raef saves her and it ends with Luci recovering in hospital and the siblings all reunited.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title refers to the sunny Caribbean family country of Grenada. When the family moves to London there is little sun and much sadness.

Cilla leaves Raef, her eight year old son, with her sister when she movse from Grenada in 1960 to join her husband in England. She takes Davey, her five year old with her; Raef doesn’t understand why she leaves him in Grenada, although she promises to send for him when they make enough money. It pains him that she leaves him behind and does not arrange for his trip to England until he is thirteen - six long years later.

The reunion between Raef and his family does not go well. His father, Sonny, looks at Raef anew and becomes suspicious that he is not the father, as Rael does not look like anyone else in his family. Sonny and Raef do not connect. That and Sonny’s growing anger over other incidents stress the family until Cilla eventually insists that Sonny leave them.

Raef cannot not get over being left in Grenada by his mother. The nuclear family of parents and two children developed without him. He knows that he does not fit into the life they created. His daily existence is somewhat better after Sonny leaves. Gradually, Raef begins feels more and more alone and finally has a mental breakdown which deeply affects everyone.

Author Pam Williams’ narrative is a chronicle focusing first on Raef, then Cilla, sometimes his sister Luci and then back and forth for their lifetime. It is a painful chronicle, a propulsive book.

I was moved by the chronicle. It was so well described that it feels real. It is reminiscent of a nonfiction book of a family with six schizophrenic children, Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family. Unfortunately it is somewhat marred by being too detailed and thus too long.

The back cover states “A Trace of Sun is, in part, inspired by the author’s own family experiences.” Williams’ parents left Grenada for London, leaving two children behind. Williams was born soon after they arrived, and her siblings arrived seven years later. We can surmise the consequences.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this 3½ out of 5


Pam Williams’s A Trace of Sun (first published March 1, 2024) unfolds as a rich, multigenerational Caribbean saga longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 A B. At its heart, the novel traces the emotional fallout when Cilla leaves seven-year-old Raef behind in Grenada to join her husband in England, only to reunite with a stranger years later.

Williams lulls you into familiar territory—Windrush migration, family separation—then upends expectations with unexpected twists. Just when you think you know where the plot is headed, an unforeseen revelation reframes everything.

Through Cilla’s and Raef’s dual perspectives, the novel captures the trauma of child migrants left behind, the fraught reunion in a foreign land, and the swirling mix of guilt, anxiety, and resentment that follows.

Unlike many diaspora tales that veer into cliché, the love stories here feel lived-in and tender. Williams resists easy tropes of infidelity or hardened men, portraying instead Caribbean relationships built on loyalty and real sacrifice.

A Trace of Sun is an essay on what binds us as family —blood, memory, shared pain. It continually asks: Who are we when stripped of home? Who becomes our family when biological ties fray?

Raef’s struggle with identity, isolation, and wayward impulses speaks to the hidden mental-health toll on Caribbean men born or raised in the UK. Notably, Williams sidesteps sensationalist crime arcs, focusing instead on quieter, more nuanced wounds.

At nearly 400 pages, some scenes meander. A tighter edit could have sharpened the emotional beats and trimmed repetitive reflections.

Mid-novel chapters occasionally linger on backstory, pulling momentum away from the core mother-son drama.


Despite its occasional drag, A Trace of Sun shines as a heartfelt, surprising meditation on migration, memory, and belonging. If you relish family sagas that combine cultural insight with thoughtful character studies—akin to Black Cake but with its own Caribbean cadence—you’ll find this novel well worth the journey.

Recommended for readers interested in diaspora literature, Windrush narratives, and intimate explorations of family bonds.

[Khai Jian (KJ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He blinked as a trace of sun broke free from the cover of heavy cloud; shone on him through the dusty panes. I can be her big brother. A proper one this time. If she’ll let me. They’d gelled back then. For a while. Maybe they could again."

A Trace of Sun opens in Grenada, where Raef's mother, Cilla (who then is pregnant with Raef's sister, Luci), leaves him behind and joins his father (Sonny) with his brother (Davey). 7 years later, Raef flies to London and reunites with his family. However, he feels distanced from his family, especially when his father is abusive towards him (because Sonny suspects Raef of being the product of an affair between Cilla and Frank, the boyfriend of Cilla's best friend Isadora) and he resents Luci (as he feels that she has replaced him in his mother's heart). This emotional impact of his separation from his family led to the deterioration of his mental health, which subsequently caused several incidents that tore his family apart. When Cilla is diagnosed with cancer, she is forced to reveal a long-buried secret.

A Trace of Sun initially reads like a conventional novel premised on immigrant experience but it took a surprising turn when Pam Williams explored mental health issues caused by the separation of families associated with such migration (which is inspired by Williams' personal experience). I am a huge fan of Williams' prose. It is poetic, emotional, and distinctive. Her character work is complex and memorable. Raef's mental illness, Luci's alcoholism, and Cilla's deteriorated health due to cancer as well as the weight of the "secret" on her are very well executed with a rather dark and harrowing tone. This is one of the lesser-known novels in the longlist of the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction and a strong debut to me. A 4.5/5 star read and I would love to see this in the shortlist!

[ajournalforbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This week on migration, family secrets and mental illnesses.

We meet Cilla, a determined mother who left Grenada to meet her husband and create a better life for herself and her family. Leaving her son Raef behind was hard but seven years later, she was able to send for him and have her divided family, reunited once more. But years of feeling abandoned and returning to his family feeling like an outsider. Raef’s life in England had been challenging and as he continued to battle with abandoned and feeling as if he didn’t belong, the family dynamic Cilla thought she created begins to crumble.

I read this book and went through every emotion possible to man, from empathy to sadness to grief to anger to disdain and so much more. These well crafted characters that Pam created brought each page of the novel to life.

The effects of migration on children when they’re left behind, really stuck with me. Which further evolved into mental illness gave me pause. As I thought about how the actions of parents whether good willed or ill-intentioned can traumatically, mentally and emotionally affect a child.

And when I say Pam knows how to bring a character to life, she knows what to do. She ate and left no crumbs when it came to writing from the point of view of a person suffering from mental illness. It was my first time getting a glimpse of a person mentally drowning and succumbing to the voices in their head. Which just brought about greater empathy for persons dealing with mental illnesses in and outside of their homes.

This exquisitely crafted story broke me because when I thought I couldn’t forgive a character, Pam said guess again and left me with nothing but awareness for mental illnesses and empathy.

[Patricia Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trace of sun by Pam Williams , another from the women’s prize longlist. This book starts in Grenada when Raephs mother Cilla leaves him behind as she and his brother join his father in the uk. He joins them 7 years later by which time he also has a sister Lucy and this is where the book gets interesting - Raeph doesn’t settle and relationships are very tense, over a lot of years we learn of Raephs struggle with his mental health and deep family secrets. When I started this book I thought it was a bit boring and just about life for an immigrant family that I have read 100 times before but it is so much more than that, and about a third in, it really took off in a different and unexpected direction , but again as with most of the other women’s prize books I’ve read this year , it was a bit dark and miserable, but it is really good. I am reminded a little of A little life (which I hated ) but not as harrowing or miserable. Overall a hit

[Natasha (jouljet) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on her own family history, this family saga blisters with abandonment, family secrets, life shattering dilemmas and the repercussions of decisions.

Raef is seven when his pregnant mother and little brother leave him in Grenada to move to London, where his father has established their future. She'll send for him soon, she promises, leaving him with an aunt.

Years pass, his baby sister grows on the other side of the world, before he finally gets his ticket to join them - strangers now, all. Trying to find his place in the family, and battle his resentment to the sister who held his Mammy's love all these years, is a mountain to climb.

This is a tale told across the years, as time, age and the toll of this beginning leave devastating effects. A compelling family story, of love, betrayal and secrets, mental health and trauma, and the bonds of family.

[Rebecc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A familial saga spanning 2 generations between Grenada & South London. Pam Williams skillfully reveals the secrets of Cilla, Sonny & their 3 children after eldest son Raef is left behind when Cilla follows Sonny to London in the 1960s Windrush migration. When the reunion comes it is not the joyful ending one would hope for, but the start of a complex life for Raef. Pam Williams explores male drug addiction & mental health crises in the 1990s & one wonders what those services are like today after decades of cuts. The final chapters are heartbreaking as Raef misses opportunities for reconciliation & atonement & the secrets eventually bubble to the surface. The ending is complicated by an unexpected near fatal car accident & one hopes that the characters are able to surmount their histories & forge a better future.

[Sandrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars!
I love this kind of story, where you get to follow the character’s development from childhood to adulthood. The mother and son relationship is so beautifully written and well described through their individual perspectives.

The beginning of the book is super fast paced, which I enjoy in books in general, but some aspects of the story feels rushed. To the point where I often times felt like I’ve missed something or details, so I had to go back and re-read often.

This story is so heartbreaking and feels so real. I felt empathy for all the characters and I feel like they will live in my head for a long time. And yes you will probably ugly cry in public, just like I did. I found myself shouting out “why God why?? they’ve suffered enough”

[Doreen Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story, beautifully written ! I'm still thinking about it weeks after reading it! The author uses powerful words which works to illustrate how the rigours of immigration affected the mental health of one child and the detrimental effect this has on him and the whole family as they struggle to understand and deal with the issues highlighted. It is a subject matter that is relevant to many families as they try to seek solutions to similar issues that they and their loves one are going through right now. This book is much needed to help promote better understanding, knowledge, and treatment of mental health illness. It will pull deeply into your emotions.