August 2016

I have read a few books that take place during the years of the Dust Bowl storms. I find this time and place in history so very tragic and always want to learn more about it. So when I saw I WILL SEND RAIN by Rae Meadows, I immediately wanted to read it.

The story is set in Mulehead, Oklahoma in the mid-1930s during the early years of the Dust Bowl. Annie Bell, the protagonist, has a lot on her mind as she chases the dust swirling around her. The dust is killing the crops on her family’s farm, and the livestock are struggling to survive. She watches her husband, who is not coping well with all these changes. Life is closing in on her literally from the hardships of nature and from the pressure of trying to survive in a life where she feels she is lost and cannot find her way.

Annie is deeply mourning the loss of a child, which contributes to her inner turmoil, while she vigilantly watches her son, Fred, as the dust is bearing down and causing him serious breathing issues. She also has her eye on her daughter, Birdie, who is mooning over a neighborhood boy, seeing him as an escape from the drudgery of her life. Young and cavalier Birdie knows she does not want the life that her mother has been dealt. Annie knows Birdie is vulnerable, while at the same time knows she does not want for her the life that she has.

A small window of joy opens for Annie as she begins spending time with a man who sees her as more than a wife and mother. She has an out. Will she take it? Is this joy, or just an interlude?  

Rae writes beautifully from multiple points of view with prose that is sharp and nuanced. The ending shows a glimmer of hope for everyone --- light inside each of them emerging in spite of the dust. It would make for a great book group discussion.