What Happened to the McCrays?

A Novel

By: Tracey Lange

Narrated by: Stephanie Németh-Parker, William DeMeritt

"Stephanie Németh-Parker and William DeMeritt work together beautifully to narrate this exquisitely crafted and stirring family story."—AudioFile

From New York Times bestselling author Tracey Lange, a poignant story about the resilience of family, the importance of community, and the magic of middle school hockey

When Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, where he doesn’t expect a warm welcome. Kyle left suddenly two and a half years ago, abandoning people who depended on him: his father, his employees, his friends—not to mention Casey, his wife of sixteen years and a beloved teacher in town. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again, especially after Casey makes it clear she wants him gone.

The longer he’s home, the more Kyle understands the impact his departure has had on the people he left behind. When he’s presented with an opportunity for redemption as the coach of the floundering middle school hockey team, he begins to find compassion in unexpected places. Kyle even considers staying in Potsdam, but that’s only possible if he and Casey can come to some kind of peace with each other.

Full of love and hope, What Happened to the McCrays? takes an intimate look at both sides of a failed marriage and two people who must finally confront the awful pain of their past or risk being consumed by it.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

©2024 Tracey Lange (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The novel’s emotional range is impressive, particularly the slow-burn rekindling between its two leads, and snowy, close-knit Potsdam comes to life. Readers in search of a perceptive and rewarding family drama need look no further."—Publishers Weekly

“Lange's characters are memorable, and their struggles feel epic yet real.”–Booklist

Solid read .

Overall it’s a solid listen / read. The story does make sense and it does take you in some ups and downs . Other than that. It’s solid .

Very Engaging

he kept me engaged from the beginning to the end. I am sorry that it ended I wanted it to continue on.

The characters are interesting

Death is a tough topic and the author did a great job of the character development through their journey.

Real and moving

Great book! It was a little long and became somewhat predictable but the author enticing you to hang on.

Excellent book.

Great story with heartbreaking sections that will bring you tears. Excellent writing and caring story.

An excellent Slow burn character driven read!

This book had everything I love in a family drama..secrets, heartbreak, complicated relationships, and a small-town setting where the past is impossible to escape.

The story follows the McCray family , Kyle who left town years ago after a tragic accident turned his family upside down now, he’s back, and the past isn’t staying buried. As he reconnects with people from his old town—including his childhood best friend and ex wife Casey—he’s forced to confront old wounds and the weight of everything that happened.

I loved the character dynamics in this book—how people carry guilt, how a community remembers and how tragedy can define a person in ways they don’t even realize. The hockey element was a great touch too, woven naturally into the story without feeling forced.

This is a slow-burn, emotional read with strong writing that really explores love, regret, and whether it’s possible to heal after so much loss. If you love character-driven stories with deep emotional stakes, this one is worth picking up.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4 STARS)

Another win!

She is an auto buy author for me. This was my first book ( by her) on audible. And I thought it was fantastic.

Another 5 Star by Tracey Lange!

I loved the author’s first two novels, and was worried this one wouldn’t match up. Thankfully it did!

family drama and community

4.25 stars for What Happened to the McCrays. I went into this book almost blind because of big praise from reviews I'd read and realized about halfway through the story that it was slightly more of a love story (not romance novel) than a family drama. I don't read a lot of love stories but the scale was balanced just enough with the depth of character development as well as the gorgeously drawn themes of community and the legit need to know "what happened to the McCrays." This was such an easy story to fall right into. It's the story of Kyle and Casey who you know from page one are divorced as well as estranged for about two years. Kyle who fled to the West Coast after the break up has to come home unexpectedly as his dad has had a stroke. The inevitable reunion between Kyle and Casey is taut with tension and this feeling of loss but you don't know what that is. There is a history there - a tragedy that is alluded to but not fleshed out until the very end and so the story is told in past and present tense. Lange pours her heart into every single character in this book and I so appreciated that. You really feel like you know these people - like they are family. She also paints a perfect setting of this hockey obsessed town that comes together for this couple who have lost their way. I loved this hockey community and how all of the characters were connected both to the history of this couple and to their future. I highly recommend this is you enjoy messy characters and dysfunctional families that are able to come together for each other when it counts!

Just Say No

I enjoyed Ms. Lange's first book but she's clearly entered a sophomore slump. Early on, it's easy to figure out the mystery between the two star-crossed lovers. I got about 1/3rd of the way through this one, hoping it would get better, but I could see it was headed nowhere. I don't mind not caring for the characters, but all the ones in this book were uninteresting and annoying. Specifically, it's not that they were bad/evil--the might have been better--they were boring.

I think plenty of folks will like this book and I truly hope they get their credits-worth. There's something for all of us, viva la difference! This one, to my chagrin, was not my cup of tea. I'll say it, I'm a snob about what I read and part of my problem with this book was probably unrealistic expectations and a too formulaic "love story" plot. For me, it was too "Hallmark Movie," something in which Valerie Bertinelli would play the heroine.