A Masterclass in Prose & Emotion: The Necessity of Rain by Sarah Chorn

What to say about this book? How about this to start:

This is a masterclass in prose and emotion.

I didn't know what I was in for when I dove into The Necessity of Rain. For authors I trust, I don't tend to read the blurbs.

Good riddance—no blurb could capture the essence of this book.

Each chapter, each scene writhes with emotion—earned emotion, I should add. Sometimes it's joy, wonder, or love; sometimes pain, sorrow, regret, and fear. Most often, all are present, for TNoR does nothing if not capture the complexities of the soul and the heart.

Admittedly, our three protagonists start out sounding kind of similar in voice. But soon, the intricacies of their characters come to light, and each have their own separate, but shared, journeys that they travel.

Not a physical journey, for the most part—we revolve around similar locations, those most impactful, where the characters must endure the grief of losing those they love. Yet that grief pupates them into something new and beautiful. Even if that beauty is broken. Especially so.

For this book celebrates what is thought to be broken. Those with disabilities. Sensitivities. Markings that make them different from those around them. It sees those people—all of us, in our own ways—and cradles and accepts us for who we are.

I can't do it justice. All I can say is read the book. I cherished this story and feel a bit more open to the world for having read it. A bit more accepting of both rain and sunshine.

There's so much more depth to it than I've plumbed. So many layers left untouched. The symbolism in the plants. The allegory of environmental degradation. 

But those are best discovered, I think. Just know you're in safe hands. And this is not a book to be rushed—treasure it while it lasts.