I picked up this little gem at my sister’s shop.  She keeps a box at the end of her counter, filled with books people may take and read, return, or keep for themselves if they find they cannot part with a new little treasure.  These are pieces donated by others; me included.  It was an idea she had several years ago; cleaning out her books at home she thought she would just take them to the shop and give them away. It has since turned into a little pop-up library her clients really love diving into.  Because happiness is a good book, right?

And so, I found Rainwater.  Set during the Great Depression, in a time ravaged by economic ruin, drought, and racial separation, we meet Ella and her autistic son, Solly.  Labeled an ‘idiot savant’, Solly does not speak, is prone to fits, and shies away from any sort of physical contact.  Ella’s days are spent caring for him, protecting him, and keeping the boarding house she owns in perfect order.  Already offering a home to two elderly sisters and a traveling salesman, her newest boarder is Mr. David Rainwater, a relation of the local Doctor. He has come to this small town to be near his only relative as he waits to die.  Soft spoken and ever polite, Mr. Rainwater takes an immediate interest in Solly.  He sees intelligence where others see idiocy; potential where others see a waste of his mother’s time.  This is a mixed blessing for Ella; her constant fear of Solly being one public fit away from a mental institution wars with Mr. Rainwater’s attention to the silent boy.  And yet, she is appreciative of that same attention. Mr. Rainwater’s surety that Solly is not stupid, that intelligence is there if only they can release it, gives her hope. Does she dare step away from her apprehension?   We meet other characters; Ella’s neighbors, her hired maid Margaret, and Brother Calvin, the new paster at Margaret’s church. And then there are the poor souls cleaving to the barest possible existence in Shanty Town.  Whether white or black, the depression separates no one in this hardest-hit part of the community.   Lastly, we have our antagonist, Conrad Ellis.  An ugly piece of filth raised in a prominent family, who can get away with the most horrid behavior simply because his family’s money and community stature allows it.

As Ella strives to maintain her well-ordered existence, she comes to realize her world as she knows it is quickly crumbling around her.  She keeps herself distant, more for the safety of her son, and the uneasiness he instills in others.  Yet it is important to her that she maintain the respect of her community.  Not because she is haughty, but because she has been made to face disrespectful circumstances and refuses to bow her head to them.  Pride?  Perhaps.  But mostly just the need to keep steady; maintain her equilibrium in the face of such despair.  She looks pity in the eye.  She shares what little she has with those even less fortunate than herself.  She offers friendship to those open to receiving it and gladly accepts the same in return.  Economic desperation coupled with social inequality can be an explosive combination and it does come to that here.  A horrible crime, another horrible act in its wake.  And sacrifice….   How much of ourselves would we give for those so dear to us?   What makes a good trade?

This work is gracefully written.  So easy to read the words almost become invisible, allowing us to move from page to page with such little effort we have gobbled portions of the story without even realizing it.  The plot is full of layers…  Hardship, as farmers struggle to survive the dust and drought.  The lack of rain, causing a desolate landscape in the wake of unseasonable winds.  Bawling cows, with no fodder to feed them, are literally starving on their hoofs.  The dust bowl’s ravaging effects on the cattle ranchers is a major part of our plot, giving the antagonist an outlet to vent his evil.  And while Ella strives only to survive each day, Mr. Rainwater strives to make a difference with each day he has left.  And through this our love story emerges; so poignant, it leaves us wondering how such beauty could be true.

This is the first time I have ever read anything like this from Sandra Brown. Mostly it seems this piece is an anomaly as she writes more suspense thrillers opposed to quiet romance.  But I love this.  The simplicity of the work is exquisite.  Where I often admire a well-turned phrase, the lack of such descriptive script here is perfect.  The scenery is still very evident; I could feel the oppressive heat of a summer day.  I could visualize the horror of slaughtered cows.  I could hear the gunfire peppering a family farmhouse.  And I could feel the sorrow of a community wailing at the loss of a loved one and the evil behind a senseless killing.

There is so much this book will make you feel.  Kinship with Ella and the heavy responsibility life has laid upon her.  “I’m used to being tired,” she says, after Mr. Rainwater comments on an especially exhaustive day.  Also understanding; for a young boy shut up in his own mind, unable to communicate with the outside world.  And shock, at how some can take so much pleasure in hurting a fellow human being.

We all choose those ‘easy’ things to read… the in-between stuff we pick up before diving into those big treasures we look forward to or plan to read.  Something we do not have to think too hard about, or loose to much of ourselves in.  I thought Rainwater would be one of those; something I could use to take a break from my more serious reads.  But Rainwater turned out to be so much more than I expected.  I love Ella’s strength.  It is tempting to call her quiet, but I think it is more of a stubbornness; a refusal to let the hardship triumph.  Her life is centered on survival, the constant need to watch over Charlie, her boarding house, the compassion she extends toward her neighbors.  There is no time to focus on anything else, just the monotony of her everyday chores.  And then here comes David Rainwater, wreaking havoc on her daily routine, forcing her to look outside her life.  Change is hard.  We feel that even today, but like Ella, we often find glory in the unknown, if we just choose to reach out for it.

Our epilogue comes to us in present time.  In a little antique shop off the beaten path, where a young, enrapt couple hangs on an old curator’s every word.  He tells a story of an earlier age, where we learn the fate of our friends while smiling thru our tears.  Ella’s strength, come full circle, becomes an inspiring lesson.  To stand on the side of right, and to accept love even when it hurts the most.  A perfect ending, I think.