Sunset Year, A Novella by C. J. Ellison – Published by C. J. Ellison, 2025

This 100-page novella opens with Will Grzeskiewicz, a trans college hockey player for the University of Michigan, experiencing suicidal thoughts after a season-ending injury that has shattered his right arm. The setting is a park, on thecHuron River, just a few minutes’ drive from campus. As the story begins, Will has just made his way along a dirt path that veers from the sidewalk past empty benches then over a wooden bridge to a small island.

From the book: Off the path, the trees gently shape into a tunnel and open up to a small patch of grass with an unobstructed view of the river. I’ve spent dozens of nights here, watching the sunset, the stars. It’s close enough to our justoff- campus house that I can walk ... but far enough away that the bustling sounds of down-town are nothing but a dull mocking noise.

This is Will’s special spot, a very private place that he returns to again and again for solace and reflection. On this particular night, when he is feeling exceptionally low knowing he cannot play hockey, another person happens along who also considers this beautiful spot to be her special spot. Magnolia Castillo is a music student who is also attending the University of Michigan. She is as emotionally charged as Will, but for very different reasons. Magnolia is grappling with the sudden death of her older sister Dahlia in a horrific car accident.

As it turns out, these two college students have each retreated to this particular spot on many occasions to watch the sunset and listen to the rippling water. It is a place where both Will and Magnolia have previously found solace, but they have never encountered another person in this place until this moment. Will and Magnolia run straight into each other hard and go tumbling to the ground together.

After they recover, Magnolia asks Will if he might sit with her for a while, as she is very agitated and upset, and the two sit side-by-side in the grass and look out at the river together. Eventually they start sharing small bits and pieces of their lives, and an immediate comradery develops. They decide to meet here the following evening, just as the sun is setting. Over time, the two pledge to meet at this same spot nightly and ultimately share some of their deepest thoughts and fears with each other.

The book unfolds in alternating chapters called Will and Magnolia. In the Will chapters, Will talks about being kicked out of his home at age 16, because his parents refused to accept that he was trans, and how a grandfather that he barely knew took him in and accepted him. Will explains how he found true family when he received a scholarship to play hockey at the University of Michigan, and the guys on the team accepted him for himself. Magnolia shares what her growing up years were like and how much her older sister has played a part in making her believe in herself and becoming who she is. Magnolia loved her sister Dahlia so very much and is so grief-stricken that she has a hard time eating, thinking, and studying.

What follows is a beautiful story about a deep and enduring friendship, as Will and Magnolia meet time and again at sunset in this special setting and help each other heal and recover. This is not a story about romantic love; it is a story about platonic soulmates who come to love each other as very dear friends.

C.J. Ellison (he/him) is a queer writer from Michigan, who works as a library services assistant, and holds a B.A. in
American Sign Language Interpreting. When not writing about anxious gay athletes, C.J. can be found quilting, making coffee, and spending time with his partner and their cats. You can find more from C.J. Ellison
at bycjellison.com and on most socials at @bycjellison.

This book review was submitted by Stand with Trans advocate
Barb Shumer, past board member and retired public librarian.