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A review by lilyrooke
Back in the Rain by Emily Dux Speltz, Elen Chase, Noemi Ruffolo
5.0
'I'll bring you home.'
Struggling to process the loss of his girlfriend, who died in mysterious circumstances, Andrew returns to her grave, where he meets Dan, his oldest friend, who disappeared when they were teenagers. Determined to solve the mystery of her death, Drew and Dan team up, marking the first step along a journey that will open old wounds, challenge each other, and deepen into something entirely and unexpectedly beautiful.
On the surface, Back in the Rain seems like a mystery novel. Parts of it read like detective fiction, and personally I very much enjoyed Drew's narrative voice. He 'reports' much of the story, much like a classic narrator of the genre, almost as though he were speaking directly to the reader, or perhaps to a private journal. I could imagine him gathering his thoughts on the case as it unfolds, which suited his desired profession of hero/policeman perfectly.
Scratch the surface, though, and it quickly becomes clear that this story is about so much more. Elen Chase gradually drip-feeds the truth of the characters' pasts with such control that in the latter half of the novel I was so deeply invested in them and desperate for them to have a happy ending. Layer by layer, secrets, lies, and intense pain are revealed. Dan, in particular, having suffered so much, and sacrificed himself over so many years, is a strikingly well-developed character, seeming to be one thing when in reality he is quite another.
Parts of this book are undeniably difficult to read, but I applaud the author for going there, because few are brave enough to, or skilled enough to do so with such nuance. Damaged characters will make mistakes, and will make bad choices, and will hurt each other. But the climax of the novel - particularly as we begin learning more through Dan's eyes, and the time that's taken to see the aftermath of the finale and how Drew and Dan are recovering together - broke my heart in the best way. There are some stunningly beautiful lines, and while I can see how the author has developed her themes further in her Italian Romance series, Back in the Rain demonstrates the devastatingly capacity she has for gorgeous, aching love stories and the journey of recovering from deep trauma.
As with everything I read by this author, these characters will stay with me, and when I read her stories, I feel both hopeful and understood.
Struggling to process the loss of his girlfriend, who died in mysterious circumstances, Andrew returns to her grave, where he meets Dan, his oldest friend, who disappeared when they were teenagers. Determined to solve the mystery of her death, Drew and Dan team up, marking the first step along a journey that will open old wounds, challenge each other, and deepen into something entirely and unexpectedly beautiful.
On the surface, Back in the Rain seems like a mystery novel. Parts of it read like detective fiction, and personally I very much enjoyed Drew's narrative voice. He 'reports' much of the story, much like a classic narrator of the genre, almost as though he were speaking directly to the reader, or perhaps to a private journal. I could imagine him gathering his thoughts on the case as it unfolds, which suited his desired profession of hero/policeman perfectly.
Scratch the surface, though, and it quickly becomes clear that this story is about so much more. Elen Chase gradually drip-feeds the truth of the characters' pasts with such control that in the latter half of the novel I was so deeply invested in them and desperate for them to have a happy ending. Layer by layer, secrets, lies, and intense pain are revealed. Dan, in particular, having suffered so much, and sacrificed himself over so many years, is a strikingly well-developed character, seeming to be one thing when in reality he is quite another.
Parts of this book are undeniably difficult to read, but I applaud the author for going there, because few are brave enough to, or skilled enough to do so with such nuance. Damaged characters will make mistakes, and will make bad choices, and will hurt each other. But the climax of the novel - particularly as we begin learning more through Dan's eyes, and the time that's taken to see the aftermath of the finale and how Drew and Dan are recovering together - broke my heart in the best way. There are some stunningly beautiful lines, and while I can see how the author has developed her themes further in her Italian Romance series, Back in the Rain demonstrates the devastatingly capacity she has for gorgeous, aching love stories and the journey of recovering from deep trauma.
As with everything I read by this author, these characters will stay with me, and when I read her stories, I feel both hopeful and understood.