Rain Song (and How Sweet It Is)

Alice Wisler is one of the few living authors I know as a real, human person. She introduced me to her novel How Sweet It Is a couple years ago, and I've been meaning to get a copy of Rain Song ever since. How Sweet It Is was lovely, light reading free of the cloying soppiness that generally engulfs books in the Christian romance genre. Maybe it was a little bit saccharine, but then the title is honest.

Rain Song, similarly, was easy to read. Wisler's amusing surprises and quirky characters kept me laughing. I kept wishing I knew Alice better, because the character-development-through-periodic-revelations kept me wondering how Alice fit this all together. Perhaps this is the challenge of knowing an author: one wants to see her reflected in her work, however inappropriate that may be. Take the wonderful Monet the Terror, a wee lassie whose antics prompt persistent (and probably unnecessary) medical evaluation. Was Monet based on an actual acquaintance or an active imagination? Either way, Monet contributes to the story and the protagonist's character development. She also features in the subtle introduction of "food for thought" material, given that her behavioral pathologies could be explained more easily by circumstances than by medical causes. Wisler's plot and character development grow steadily through the book. The end is almost anti-climactic, but Wisler draws a satisfying conclusion by answering questions raised earlier.

Overall, this is a lovely book. It's a great read for relaxation on a rainy day or a beach trip. I would recommend snapping it up before it goes out of print in the midst of the new ebook revolution. I have to catch my copy of Hatteras Girl before it disappears into electronic land.