G164 E-Reading Book Review of When It Rains the Umbrella Collection by Prudence Hayes
Author: Prudence Hayes
ISBN: 978-1481962827
Publisher: Createspace
Type of book: depression, rain, voices, death, all-male family, secrets, 2000s
Year it was published: 2013
Summary:
With rain chasing her at her heels and her fear of rain flowing through her veins, Nora is in a downward spiral mentally and trying to grasp onto anything that will stop her. For many years she has been trying to come to grips with her parent’s death in a car crash and a voice that she incessantly hears in her head that announces only evil.
She lives amongst a testosterone filled family; Pops, her uncles and cousins that have never wavered in their love but are often overshadowed by the darkness that overwhelms her.
When the loss of a friendship, running into the man that killed her parents, and her family confronting her about her issues all, with the sound of the voice echoing throughout, she is brought to the edge of insanity and to her breaking point.
Will she win the battle in her mind or will she succumb to defeat?
Characters:
The characters are three dimensional and they do change throughout the novel. The reader sees Nora's uncles and cousins and friends through her eyes instead of someone else's. As more and more events happen, more and more is revealed about uncles and cousins and even her grandfather. I did get a sense of support and changing. Something else that's interesting is that men in this book are portrayed emotionally, that they are much more than uncaring. They care for Nora and are doing the best for her.
Theme:
Its okay to get help
Plot:
Its written in first person narrative completely from Nora's point of view. I really liked the uniqueness of her character, especially her obsessive compulsive fear of rain and umbrella collection, and how the reader knows that something is wrong with Nora, yet Nora can't really see it herself. I also liked that mental issues were addressed realistically and weren't put down by doctors and psychologists. I'm not advocating pills for everyone, but sometimes emotions can really cripple a human being to where they won't be able to function anymore.
Author Information:
(from goodreads.com)
born
The United States
gender
female
website
http://peaceloveandwriting9.wordpress.com/
twitter username
prudencehayes
genre
Non Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary
member since
August 2012
I have always been swept away in some story that was floating around and evolving in my mind, but, besides for a few times, hesitated putting them down on paper due to the fact that I was worried what others thought. Those stories and screenplays that were written down when I was younger were secretly hidden from everyone’s eyes. After 30 years, I convinced myself that the opinions of others no longer mattered and it was all about how I felt writing. The creative process can be my nemesis at times, but when it feels right, it is the love of my life.
Opinion:
This is an excellent reading in more ways than one. First of all is that its not romance focused. Nothing wrong with that, but frequently the stories that have a woman as a main character always focus on some romance. This book, however, focuses on depression, trying to get over death and relationship between family members. Short of getting the uncles and cousins kind of confused and that I thought the resolution was a little too tidy, I really loved reading it. It gives a positive spin on those that require for medicine, or that struggle with life and their demons.
Quick Notes: This is a review for Making Connections.
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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