Rainwater

By Sandra Brown
($23.99, Simon & Schuster)



Sandra Brown wrote "Rainwater" - out of heart and desire - in between her normal contract books. What you'll read in this book is something moving and incredibly special, but a departure from the suspense she is known for. She is such a fine writer that she not only succeeds, she makes it appear effortless. This book will enthrall you from the beginning and beguile you until the end.

Our story starts in Solly's Place, an antiques store where a young couple has stopped to browse. The owner is persuaded to tell them the background story of the pocket watch that he refuses to sell. And that is where the story begins...

Ella Barron is raising an autistic son, Solly, in the boarding house she inherited from her parents. She refuses to send the ten-year-old off to an institution, so she must fit his care into the orderly days of ensuring quality conditions for her tenants. Everything is according to plan until the local doctor stops by to encourage her to take in a boarder he introduces as Mr. Rainwater.

This takes place in 1934, during the Great Depression. Farmers are forced by desperation to sell off their life's work to support their families in a plan devised by the federal government. As can be expected, this scheme is flawlessly executed and suits all parties. In the midst of this, racial tensions flare up and spill over into the lives of everyone, including the cautious Ella Barron.

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