by Peter Gadol
A great suspense novel that explores
relationships, morals and guilt.
Reviewed by: A.J. Kohn
About A.J. Kohn
Jason Dark is putting the pieces of his life back
together. He's moved to a family vineyard, opened up
a small law practice in the rural town and is renewing
relationships with his estranged wife and troubled
son. But then things go awry. On a rainy night on a
country road he accidentally runs over a teenager and
kills him. No one is around for miles and miles.
What would you do?
Maybe the answer is easy for you and you do the right
thing, but author Peter Gadol explores the sinister
side - the weak side - that might try to cover it up.
Dark convinces himself that nothing good can come of
his admission. The boy is dead and will stay dead.
As a lawyer, Dark sees jail or a civil suit that takes
away all he's just reclaimed. He feels he must accept
the burden of guilt, but protect his family and new
life.
Peter Gadol's 'The Long Rain' is a great suspense
novel. Don't mistake it for a mystery novel. This
isn't a whodunit because you'll know who committed the
crime. It's not quite a thriller either. You won't
find gory descriptions of a serial killer, no chases
with gun waving thugs and nothing blows up in a fiery
orange ball. You WILL be treated to a fascinating
internal drama that explores relationships, morals and
guilt.
Gadol puts you right smack in the middle of this
queasy situation. Good people sometimes make bad
decisions. And once Dark lies, he can't seem to go
back and reveal the truth. It's like that friend you
were supposed to call and the longer you wait the
worse you feel and the tougher it is to call and
explain why you flaked. The beauty of 'The Long Rain'
is that you get to live this nightmare vicariously.
Guilt and anxiety eat at Dark, threatening to consume
his new life. And like Dark, I often found myself
sitting, shoulders near my ears, with knots twisting
my stomach, thinking 'will he get caught?'
Vivid descriptions of the vineyard and the detailed
process of making wine provide a needed break from the
treacherous tale. Some may find the explanations of
the crush, fermentation and cultured bacteria to be
too detailed. But if you like wine like I do, these
sections will be interesting. Either way, they are
welcome spots of relaxation in an otherwise tense
novel. There are also a few overly coincidental plot
points, but they weren't glaring enough to jar me out
of the story. In fact, I found myself muttering, 'Who
knows, truth can be stranger then fiction.'
'The Long Rain' taps into basic human flaws and puts
them on display. It asks and answers a number of
unsettling questions. Page by page the anxiety grows.
You can't help but feel the pressure of the
situation. And just when you think you know how
things will play out, Gadol surprises with a plot
twist. This isn't an easy paint by numbers portrait.
It's a messy, emotional, visceral drama that exposes
how secrets and guilt can damage trust and twist
relationships. Enjoy the chaos knowing YOU can always
close the book on the drama.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Long Rain
Copyright © by A.J. Kohn, 2003
Reviewed by A.J. Kohn:
-- Motherless Brooklyn - by Jonathan Lethem
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-- Stranger Passing - by Joel Sternfeld
-- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - by Michael Chabon
-- Bloodsucking Fiends - by Christopher Moore
-- The Long Rain - by Peter Gadol
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