The Sound of Rain

I have been really conflicted over what my final rating for this book will be. The writing style is beautiful and lyrical, raising my overall rating, while there are plot holes big enough to chuck a horse through, which lowers the rating. Let's see if I can't talk it out with myself for my review.

The story opens with Judd Markley getting his leg broken with a mine collapse that kills his brother. If that isn't enough of a catalyst to make someone want to reinvent their life, it's hard to imagine what is. So he leaves Applachia and his family to hunt a job in forestry in SC. Learning forestry feels good, despite his bum leg, but what really sparks his interest is Larkin—who just so happens to be the owner's daughter.

Larkin is a young woman who loves going out dancing and likes to keep herself busy; since her father won't let her get a job, despite her being 21, she volunteers as a candy striper in a hospital. She's warm and friendly and glad to talk with the new guy in town.

There are some minor bits of conflict through the story, but primarily it's centered around their romance and Judd's getting his life on a new track. There's a hurricane and various other things for them to deal with together.

First off, the repeated use of “alright” drove me absolutely bonkers. One friend commented that perhaps it was intentional to be clear that it was Judd's POV, but no. Larkin and her father would absolutely know that that term is not found in the dictionary, especially in the 1950s. The correct spelling is two words: all right. Got it, editors?

The first big plot chuckhole has to do with the sea. A big deal is made (a chapter and a half) about him seeing the ocean, thinking it would have been a lot bigger, reminiscing about his little brother's doomed dream of crossing it. Uh, hello?? Judd is a Korean War vet! Just how can one arrive in Korea from Appalachia without ever seeing or crossing the ocean?

Another beach incident is his great difficulty of dealing with lust inspired by the scantily clad girls on the beach. This is described, but never dealt with. Does he stop feeling lust for bodies once he falls for Larkin? Does he realize it is a sin to deal with once he begins to open up to God again? We are never told.

Larkin's brother is a preacher in a small town, ministering to the impoverished folks of Appalachian Kentucky. He broke with his father to go, leaving his mother to pine for her boy, and his sister to miss her only sibling. The thread concerning Ben comes in about halfway, and while I liked Ben, I felt like he became more flat as a character toward the end.

There is a lot of Christian talk, and some very wise points, but Judd doesn't make me believe he has really found faith.

The romance is half telling, not showing. They have some chemistry toward the beginning, but in middle/end, I'm just not convinced about Judd and Larkin as a couple. I don't think they are going to work out without more major character renovations.

(The spoilers hereafter are real, folks. I'm about to talk about the ending. Click on spoiler at your peril!)

Okay, first off. Larkin's great escape. Now, as a young woman of 21, I don't see that she was obliged to stay and let her father force her away from Christian work, but there are lots of other ways she could have accomplished her goals without her deceit and her running away alone with a single man and her careful deception of both of them. Why didn't her father demand they marry as soon as he caught up with them? Also, this part makes her seem more 16 than 21; she doesn't seem to have a real calling to spiritual ministry, though when she sees a physical need she wants to meet it. It felt very childish of her and pretty much a selfish wish to join her beloved brother rather than a calling on her life.Second, Judd's faith. Ben carefully talks through with Judd what he actually has experienced from God and encourages him to give God another chance. Judd shares how he wanted to go forward in church, but was prevented by his father in boyhood. While he begins to go to church, and to pray, he doesn't ever have a salvation moment. When Larkin is talking about being led of God to marry him, I had a really hard time believing that God would lead her to marry anyone that wasn't a committed believer. I never got convinced that Judd was. His life turned around because of Larkin in it, he states more than once. Sorry, but God isn't in the business of salvation by romance. He saves by faith.Third, the final denouement. Judd decides he is glad for her father to have manipulated him into marrying Larkin simply because he thinks he wants the career. He splutters a bit, but sits down and has drinks with her dad and basically tosses Larkin's dreams under the table. Not cool, Judd. Not cool.

So I never really liked Judd personally as a character. Larkin seemed flighty and childish. The book has tons of promise but didn't deliver for me in the end. I'm not optimistic about this match, folks.

Content:
Swears “almighty” and “for heaven's sake”
Sexual: Judd has strong feelings of lust for girls on the beach
Drinking...teetotaler Judd comes to a point where he sits down for drinks with Larkin's dad and decides it isn't bad and is going to be a habit he will enjoy having with his father-in-law.

Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy. A favorable review was not required.