A Trace of Sun - Pam Williams

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

'An unflinching look at one family's experience of immigration, exploring mental health, identity and family'

Louise Hare

'It is heartbreaking, it is courageous, and it will leave you full of hope' Laura Dockrill, author and 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction Judge

About the Author

Pam Williams studied fashion at London’s prestigious St Martin’s School of Art with a focus on journalism, PR and styling, and soon after pursued a career in fashion. She then entered the world of magazine publishing as Fashion Co-ordinator for She magazine, going on to work for PS magazine and freelancing for publications such as Fashion Editor at Shape, She and Now magazines. In 2010, Pam made a career change and became a foster carer before moving into education three years later as a supply teaching assistant. What began as a memoir of her mother’s life, which she had started 30 years prior, transformed into a fictionalised story inspired by some of her family’s experiences as part of the so-called Windrush generation and is now A Trace of Sun. Pam lives with her husband in London, together they have one son.