Just before I read this book I read a blockbuster crime novel by a famous author I had never read. It was almost 600 pages. Although I get why this author is so successful I kinda felt like I was being sold a house in Mission Viejo. There might be parts of the house that are unique, but it will surely look and feel like a house you have seen before. Nothing “wrong” with this, and in fact most houses in MV are pretty nice, but they certainly don’t often stand out. When I was done I felt like I’d known the ending for 550 pages.
And then I found Don Carpenter’s Hard Rain Falling and was blown away. Gritty, dark, small, painful and observant, but perhaps more than anything else….truthful about the twists and turns of the down and out. I really felt like I’d discovered a lost gem, but it’s probably only lost on me. You might already know this book.
What I like most is the description and nuance of the relationships which take a couple of interesting turns toward the end. Get it, read it.
Oh, cover image by Ken Light!