The Rain Watcher

A family vacation goes wrong... and goes right...

One of the many great things about working in a library is that patrons will often tell you if the book they are returning is extraordinarily good. One of our regular patrons who I know reads voraciously returned The Rain Watcher and gave it such a glowing review that I just had to check it out.

This character-driven book centers around Linden, who grudgingly goes to Paris for a family reunion celebrating his tree expert father's birthday and his parents' anniversary. A medical emergency and the rising Seine parallel with the unleashing of family secrets and the strengthening of relationships. This is a beautiful, real feeling story, impeccably written. It reminds me of a more uplifting and French version of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. The narrator of the audiobook has a lovely accent, perfect listening for a rainy spring.