The Rain

Product Information

Davidsons are missionaries who have a high opinion of themselves. They look at indigenous people as being barbaric and subject to be reformed and 'civilized.' Oh, so I'll be honest here. I totally judged the book by the cover on this one. But could you blame me? It just looks so cool. Not a bad book but nothing spectacular. I chose to start this book because I was really in the mood for something apocalyptic and I definitely got that, but from a very interesting premise comes a very just-okay book. I'll start with the things I liked. The story itself was actually fairly good and the pacing was enough to keep me just the right level of interested. I think the panic of the population was captured well and I could definitely imagine people acting in the ways they were acting with all the looting etc. Trying to think of more to say...

The plot was alright. Not brilliant, although I did want to keep reading to find out what happened. I guess the suspense was there. However, the denouement is impressive and unexpected. It's reputedly the author's best short story and I certainly agree that it is a well-realised piece that builds tension throughout as the humidity of the wet season in the tropics aggravates everyone's emotions, adding to the claustrophobic environment of containment and isolation. The weather, and in particular the incessant rain, plays a significant symbolic role. It starts when the characters arrive, and only stops when the tension is broken with the story's conclusion.This story is set on the island of Pago Pago, where the passengers of ship are stranded ,for at least two weeks, as the crew supposed to be taking them on to Apia are in quarantine due to an outbreak of measles. Among the passengers are Dr Macphail and his wife, plus the Davidsons, who are missionaries. The couples have befriended each other and go about finding lodgings with a trader and prepare to sit out the wait. However, the trader is also persuaded to find room for a Miss Sadie Thompson and her arrival soon causes problems. Mr Davidson is puritanical and soon wishes to put a stop to Miss Thompson’s partying and male visitors, with tragic consequences. year-old Ruby is more concerned with snogging some boy than the ‘Rain’ – contaminated water that kills you if you touch even one drop. In later adventures of Ruby, she finally decides to go out and open the houses of her neighbors and set their pets free. She does this so she can get them killed later or abandon them. She also releases the prisoners in the police station, something I assumed would have a point but didn't. She tries fake tan, takes all the make up and designer clothing she wants, and promptly loses most of it. She dyes her hair red and eats lots of chocolate. Basically she does what a five year old with no grasp of the situation would do, instead of a fifteen year old. Imagine this: It’s a warm, sunny Bank Holiday (rather unusual for the UK), you’re in a hot tub with the boy of your dreams, and it starts to rain. It’s not, however, normal rain. One drop can, and will, kill you.

Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley.) Secondly, I wish the ending wasn't so ambiguous. I'm not sure if this is going to be a series either so that definitely adds to the “huh,that's it” factor I experienced.

Although the denouement is signalled fairly early on, when Mrs. Davidson observes how Mr. Davidson had experienced great difficulty in getting his South Sea island constituents to recognise sin, the real pleasure lies in enjoying the masterful storytelling. W. Somerset Maugham is, as usual, on top form. It's no surprise that the story has been adapted on numerous occasions into plays and films. Das alles und dieser unsympathische Charakter von Ruby, der Protagonistin, hemmen den Lesefluss ungemein. Zuerst erhofft man sich, dass Ruby ihre unreife Einstellung zur Seite legt und endlich mal anfängt nachzudenken. Später verflucht man sie nur noch, weil sie sich so doof verhält, dass kein einziger Mensch, in einer apokalyptischen ENDZEIT wo die Ressourcen so rar sind, sich so verhalten würde. So putzt sie sich die Zähne mit Cola (genau, es gibt nichts zu trinken), trinkt alles Wasser auf, das sie sich angesparrt hat und übergibt sich dann (es gibt immer noch nichts zu trinken) und in dieser lebensbedrohlichen Welt macht sie ungeschützt eine Radtour (der Regen ist giftig und es könnte jederzeit anfangen zu regnen) und von ihrer Eitelkeit will ich gar nicht erst anfangen.

Auch einen andereren Nebencharakter, der sich alleine durch die Welt durchschlägt, fand ich sehr interessant. Natürlich wird er für seine Vorsicht und Logik von Ruby erst mal ausgelacht … Dieses Mädchen, mir fehlen die Worte.Ruby, the main character, is pretty much a mean girl everyone knew in high school. Of course, she doesn’t actually realize that she is mean. I’ve read some complaints about her character and, while I agree that she is not always pleasant, she is realistic. She just turned fifteen and from her own story she was never overly mature for her age. The rain didn’t suddenly make her smarter, more likable, or super brave. I appreciate the author keeping it real in that way. She does have some admirable qualities, and she also realizes some mistakes she has made along the way. It’s definitely a love/hate situation with her. The Rain reads like a totally crazy but completely realistic inner monologue from a protagonist who is the embodiment of annoying, teenage girls everywhere. I warmed up to Ruby instantly, seeing myself in her at many times during the novel. I know I would have reacted just as she did, and she had so much depth; it was hard not to love her and want to be her best friend. The ending in particular was deliciously satisfying and reminiscent of a theme from The Painted Veil, “The dog it was that died.” This story would be an excellent cautionary tale selection for an open-minded book club.