I Will Send Rain

Starred review from June 6, 2016
Meadows’s (Calling Out) dark, moving novel chronicles a turning point in the lives of the Bells, a farming family in 1930s Oklahoma. After severe droughts and several dust storms, families are known to pack up and suddenly disappear from the once populous town of Mulehead. Annie Bell recognizes the restlessness in her teen daughter, Birdie, and hopes that Birdie gives herself a shot at a better life elsewhere rather than marrying local boy Cy Mack. Annie feels particularly unmoored herself; her attraction to Mayor Jack Lily—formerly a Chicago newspaper reporter—grows as her husband, Samuel, becomes increasingly religious. Annie and Samuel’s bond has been tenuous since their second child, Eleanor, died as an infant. It doesn’t help that Samuel regards the drought as a test from God and thinks of his nightmares of an upcoming flood as prophecy. Meadows writes the youngest Bell, sweet eight-year-old Fred, especially well. Fred, who has been mute since birth and besieged with chronic breathing problems, has a love of animals and an endearing, thoughtful nature. Annie and John begin an affair around the time Samuel begins constructing an ark with Fred’s help, and Birdie soon finds herself with a secret. Sinister imagery is restrained but has impact: a town rabbit hunt that turns into a bloodthirsty killing spree ends with Fred trying to cry out while protecting the last trembling animal in his lap. Meadows’s strength lies in letting her story be guided by the shadow and light of her well-rendered characters. When tragedy strikes or hope emerges, it makes sense and comes to fruition organically. This makes for a vibrant, absorbing novel that stays with the reader. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, the Book Group.

As the Dust Bowl descends on Mulehead, Oklahoma, the Bell family struggles to maintain hope. Through Emily Sutton-Smith's narration, listeners experience the figurative and literal dust settling deep within the family members. Annie Bell and her 15-year-old daughter, Birdie, are moving on opposite trajectories. As the initially pragmatic Annie's optimism increases, Birdie's flighty romanticism descends into disillusionment. Sutton-Smith's portrayals of the characters are strong. Especially noteworthy is the soft, uncertain voice of Samuel Bell, the father, as well as that of young Fred, a mute asthmatic whose world turns on him. Through the Bells and other characters, Sutton-Smith delivers a portrait of yearning as penetrating as the dust storms she describes. While numerous obvious edits detract from the production, Sutton-Smith's performance triumphs. K.W. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine