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by Mike Walters (Author), Caryn Rivadeneira (Editor)
Sky Wilson was ten years old when her mother walked out the door with a suitcase, leaving behind emotional wounds that would shape everything. Years later, something worse happened-something she couldn't tell anyone about. Especially not her father, who was already overprotective, already angry about the camping trip she wanted to go on. So, unable to cope any longer with shame, she ran. For two and a half years she lived on the streets of San Francisco, carrying the weight of what happened and the shame of what she couldn't say.
Now, years later, she's coming home. Not healed. Not ready. But out of time and out of places to run. And her father-the man who tried so hard to protect her, the man that had two women walk out of his life, thinks he'll never see his beloved daughter again.
Murphy Wilson has spent his life as a firefighter, the kind of man who knows how to save people. But he never learned how to reach his own daughter. Regret tears at him daily wondering if Sky is alive. Where is she. Why did she run. Faced with having to stay stoic and run a fire district, Wilson immerses himself into his career more than ever.
Set against the devastating backdrop of the Almeda wildfire, Memories of an Ash Covered Sky is a story about what we inherit from our parents, what we survive in silence, and whether some families can be healed before it's too late. A father and daughter must finally speak the truths that have lived between them-about abandonment, protection that failed, trauma that couldn't be named, and whether love is enough.
Some families break from external disasters. Some break from within. And some find their way back.
Perfect for readers who love:
- Stories about family dysfunction and the work of healing
- Character-driven narratives about survival and resilience
- Unflinching explorations of what families hide
- Fiction set in the Pacific Northwest that captures place and pain
If you loved Rene Denfeld's devastating explorations of trauma and survival, or books about families trying to repair what's been broken, Sky and Murphy's story will stay with you.
A powerful, tender novel about the weight of secrets, the cost of silence, and what it means to finally come home.
