‘What Happened to the McCrays?’: Surviving Grief

Tracey Lange’s new novel ‘What Happened to the McCrays?’ is a gentle, slow-reveal story about a couple forced to confront the grief that broke them apart.

"What Happened to the McCrays?" by Tracey Lange.

“What Happened to the McCrays?” is the third novel by Tracey Lange. Her first book, “We Are The Brennans,” became a New York Times instant bestseller upon its release back in 2021, so hopes are already high for this new offering. All three of her novels explore similar themes and scenarios—redemption, forgiveness, and what it takes to rebuild a life after falling down hard.

One of the McCrays referred to in the title is Kyle McCray, a 40-year-old mechanic who has moved across the country to escape his home, family, and everything that ever meant anything to him. However, one phone call teaches Kyle that fleeing all the way from small-town Potsdam, New York, to Spokane, Washington, doesn’t mean he can outrun his past.

A nurse’s voicemail message informs him that his father has had a serious stroke and is hospitalized. Recovery might be possible, but it’s too soon to tell. Kyle dreads returning to the town he grew up in and facing the people he abandoned, especially his ex-wife, Casey. Even though he and his father don’t always get along, his conscience won’t let him ignore the message.

Reluctantly, he puts his new life in Spokane on hold to head home, knowing each reunion is a potential emotional landmine. Readers walk with him as he tries to weather each meeting with as little fallout as possible. Some greet him with caution, some with open arms, and some with closed fists.

A Fraught Return

Kyle’s father, Danny McCray, was a former firefighter captain. He'd been a bedrock presence in Kyle’s life since his mother walked out of their lives. Each has earned the other’s respect, but that doesn’t mean they have to like each other.

Casey is particularly hostile to Kyle’s return. She hasn’t had it easy: Her younger brother, Wyatt, a talented carpenter lost the use of his legs in the childhood accident that also took their mother’s life. Angie, Casey’s best friend, jokes that if her BFF says the word, she’ll grab her shotgun and run him out of town. Casey declines the offer.

“What Happened to the McCrays?” is an apt title because It’s a core question you’ll be asking during the first several chapters. It’s obvious that something didn’t merely break up Kyle and Casey’s 16-year marriage but shattered it. Like me, you may mutter at the pages: So, what the heck was the big, bad event already?

Facing the Tragedy

I initially thought that Lange was trying to be clever in a tiresome way, a common trick to build tension for the big reveal down the road. However, I stuck with it for two reasons. I’m glad I did because “What Happened to the McCrays” proved my original thinking was definitely wrong.

First, Lange’s writing style is engaging, and she has good instincts for guiding readers through the moments as they happen with the right amount of background to fill in the gaps. Second, I slowly realized that Lange has an excellent grasp of how grief works in real life. A degree in psychology and operating her own mental health services company helped, I’m sure.

For those who know it, grief doesn’t announce itself every day with fanfare and fireworks. Once the initial tragic events are over, the heartache can settle into our psyches, brooding and spreading gloom throughout our lives. And, of course, the event itself may be so painful that everyone is afraid to even speak of it.

Casey and Kyle’s Journey

From the story’s start, it’s obvious that Casey and Kyle are good people who deeply care for one another. Kyle’s actions are honest and noble, and the reactions of those around him mostly back this up. But his internal dialogue reveals that he doesn’t think much of himself or his supposed virtues. Misery and self-recrimination are always just under the surface.

As for Casey, she appears to be coping well with her family’s routines and her career as a teacher in Potsdam. She has passions, like preventing the local junior hockey team from collapsing and supplying actual jerseys instead of embarrassing mismatched tops. She also has a keen new suitor, a very successful local businessman named Jake, with whom she had a brief romance after Kyle left.

But she, too, is quietly broken inside. She realizes this to be a fact and soldiers on with simple determination. As the events develop, she discovers how deep the fractures go.

Healing or Breaking?

The couple must contend with their choices as they struggle to face their heartbreak. Reactions to grief can, of course, be almost as ugly and destructive as the loss itself. A new tragedy, Danny McCray’s stroke, forces both of them to finally face the past. Do they have the will to heal? And will that healing be something they can do together, or is their marriage broken for good?

While it starts slowly, “What Happened to the McCrays?” is well worth the investment—a quiet exploration of two loving people as they attempt to come to terms with fateful decisions, anger, grief, and forgiveness.

’What Happened to the McCrays?’ By Tracey Lange Celadon Books, Jan. 14, 2025 Hardcover: 352 pages

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