The Rain Watcher
A Novel
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3.4 • 16 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A heartbreaking and uplifting story of family secrets and devastating disaster, set against a Paris backdrop, fraught with revelations and resolutions.
"An absorbing tale of family secrets from the author of Sarah's Key." - People magazine
"Hypnotic, passionate, ominous and tender—unforgettable." —Jenna Blum, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
Linden Malegarde, a celebrated photographer, returns home to Paris from the United States for his father Paul's 70th birthday. The entire Malegarde family is on edge, each member afraid one wrong move will shatter their delicate harmony. Paul, an internationally-renowned arborist obsessed with his trees, has always had an uneasy relationship with his son. Lauren, his American wife, is determined that the weekend celebration will be a success. Tilia, Linden's blunt older sister, projects an air of false fulfillment. And Linden himself, uncomfortable in his own skin, still fears that he will always be a disappointment to his parents.
As the City of Light undergoes a stunning natural disaster and the Seine bursts its banks, flooding the city, the family's hidden fears and secrets slowly unravel. All members must fight to keep their unity against tragic circumstances. In this profound and intense novel of love and redemption, Tatiana de Rosnay demonstrates her skills as both an incredible storyteller and a soul seeker.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The triumphant 11th novel from de Rosnay (Sarah's Key) follows the unraveling of long pent-up frustrations within the Malegarde family against the backdrop of a natural disaster. Linden Malegarde, a Franco-American photographer, travels to Paris to celebrate the 70th birthday of his father, Paul. But when Paul suffers a stroke and is hospitalized, Linden decides to stay indefinitely. As Paul's health ebbs, the river Seine floods the city, relentlessly rising due to driving rain. For Linden, the Paris he knows so well becomes "hardly identifiable, yet painfully familiar," paralleling his own feelings and memories of his adolescence. Fearing more of the rejection and bigotry he's experienced throughout his life, Linden, who is in his late 30s, has yet to come out as gay to his father or introduce him to his longtime partner, Sacha. During the days of unexpectedly close quarters with his father, mother, and sister, Linden begins to open up and discovers that each family member has secrets and emotional wounds just as intense as his own. Throughout, de Rosnay stokes the Malegardes' histories with raw and powerful reminisces and gorgeous descriptions. This is an emotional tour de force and a thoughtful, deliberate examination of personal tragedy and the possibility of redemption.
