Under the issue of a military quarantine, the people of Aloisville have no time, GPS, internet, and their memories are rather fuzzy. The longer you are in the rain, the more you forget, the more your memories slip away. And it rains a lot.

Nothing But The Rain is executed very well. You are introduced into this world with journal entries and a fuzzy memory trying to figure out what is happening;much like the main character. The entries start off short and chaotic and become clearer as the story progresses. It is a rather bleak story with poetic diction. The less you know going into this the better. My only complaint with Nothing But The Rain is that it is so short! It is only 100 pages or so and can easily be read in one sitting. I would have liked to see this go 250-300 pages due to the fact that I became rather invested in this mysterious world that was unravelling in front of me.

Overall I would rate this a solid 4 star read. This is a short tale that is perfect for a rainy day read. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Told in the form of a diary written by our main character, Laverne, Nothing But the Rain is about a town called Aloisville, where something in the water erases people's memories. It's in the rain, in the pipes, and every leaky faucet is a potential danger. And the worst part is, they have no way of communicating with the outside world. The town is barricaded by mysterious soldiers wearing full body suits, and any and all signals have been cut off.

There's not much I can say about this novella that won't spoil something about it. I really loved what this story was doing. The writing was excellent, and the ending was well-executed. It will leave you with more questions than answers, however, and that is maybe one of the few complaints I have. While I wasn't expecting to have everything explained, and, in fact, appreciate an open ending when I feel the story warrants it, in this case it felt weird because of how the story wrapped up. There are several mysteries that are alluded to in Laverne's journal, and I wanted at least some of them to be resolved.

The other thing is that, despite how short it is, some of it felt a bit repetitive. But overall, a fantastic debut, and I would definitely recommend picking this up.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Tor Publishing Group for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

Written in diary form and aptly divided into three sections, NBTR is a clever, engaging and quotable novella that, despite its being on the short side (only 96 pages), manages to string a series of twists together, until the last page will leave you gaping. Mind you, if it's answers that you're looking for, you're going to be disappointed - NBTR is a study in human nature and morally grey characters under exceptional circumstances, the hows and whys of which are left intentionally vague (though thanks to the protagonist, we get plenty of information about the rain-induced memory-loss-phenomenon's effects), and personally, I'm OK with that. (I'm not even sure how to label this one - magical realism? science fiction? but who cares. Maybe both haha). I have to admit though that I'm a little ambivalent about the main character (a Black, elderly retired doctor): on one hand, it's refreshing to see representation of that kind, both race- and age-wise; on the other hand, for reasons I can't dwell upon without spoiling the ending, I would have been more at ease with her Blackness if the author had shared the same ethnicity. To be fair, it's not like white characters get a pass in this story...far from it...I'm just saying that their sins weigh differently. Anyhow, I'll let Black readers have the last word about it. Still a well-crafted, thought-provoking, twisty little read.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I read this when I couldn't sleep and when it was raining outside.  It was a perfect mood read.  This is short at less than 100 pages but was so much fun.  The premise deals with memory loss caused by rain.  This seems silly but the author managed to make it both atmospheric and suspenseful.  

Written as a journal, I loved the main character Laverne.  She is a retired woman in her 60s.  How she deals with the drama (and trauma) of the situation was so intriguing.  I was rooting for her while also trying to figure out what happens next.

I inhaled this story.  I thought the ending was perfect, if alarming.  After I was done, I ended up still not being able to sleep because I was admiring the story and the ramifications of the plot.  Highly recommended.  Arrr!

Short but definitely not sweet, Nothing but the Rain is a hard-hitting epistolary novel that soaks you in mystery and suspense.

While it retains an apocalypse, dystopian, and horror flair, the novella is a mystery above all else. What is happening in the town? Why is it happening? We never really know, and while you might think that’s frustrating, I think an explanation would have ruined the ethereal aspect of the novel. In a way, this novel reminds me of long dream - it’s a little disjointed but still connected, and contains moments that are odd but make sense in context. The journal aspect of the novella makes it very mimetic - we’re as confused as Laverne is, but that’s part of the fun.

The epistolary aspect of the novel is executed flawlessly. The journal aspect of the novel makes it easy to follow. While sometimes I find epistolary novels provide far more information than a real person would put in their diary or letter, you don’t have to suspend your disbelief on this one, as Laverne is writing the journal to remind herself what’s going on.

The writing itself is just lovely, full of lines like “it’s awful knowing you’re in a cage, but it’s better than fearing the cage might be all that’s left” (this line may change or be removed as I took it from an ARC). The writing style also serves to give the main character, Laverne, a crotchety retired woman, a distinct personality.

There are some great twists in the novella, and while I kind of wish it was longer (because I was enjoying it so much!), I also was entirely satisfied with the story. Nothing but the Rain is a great example of a novella, because it felt neither too short (I don't think it needed to be a novel) nor too long (it doesn't feel like a stretched-out short story). The balance was excellent and I really enjoyed the open-ended ending.

Overall, definitely check out this novella, especially on a rainy day!

Nothing but the Rain was such an amazing quick read! Throughout the story, we follow Laverne, a retired doctor living by herself in Aloisville, a town where being exposed to rain can wash your memories away. Told through Laverne’s journal entries, readers are privy to all of her paranoid thoughts and fears about Aloisville. I really enjoyed this novella, I’d definitely read more by this author! I hated that the ending didn’t have any answers about how Aloisville came to be, what was in the rain, the government, etc., but I know that’s the point of speculative fiction. I did find an eerie comfort in the conclusion of the book though, so I understand why it ended the way it did.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

While I really enjoyed how the novella was told through diary entries, I wish there was more to this story. The concept was really interesting but the secondary characters felt a bit flat to me. Even the main character I think could've been explored more. I read a lot of novellas but this just left me wanting more.

A fantastic one-sitting read! The dystopian setting— a town seemingly under military quarantine due to memory-zapping rain —is weird and grim but feels like it’s at just enough of a remove from the immediately plausible, which I liked. Instead of trying to tackle the underlying mystery there head-on, the narrative focus is on the very concrete, logical steps one character and her community are taking to survive, which works well for the short format. (Personally, I love this particular “problem solving in a disaster” trope, too.)
The journal entry format works extremely well here and does not detract at all from the clarity, but it adds some dramatic irony at one moment and it plays a key role in the plot, too. The narrative voice was wonderfully engaging and quite funny at times, even reading with my text to speech app.
I was so excited to find out that Salman is a French SFF author - I’ve been looking for more of them! I’d love to read additional work by this author in the future (in either language). ☺️
I read an ebook arc of this title which was provided by Netgalley. The publication date is March 14!

The town of Aloisville, it is very nearly always raining, and with the rain, comes the problem. The rain erases memories, one drop, one minute lost. Out there for too long, and your mind is empty. A horrifying idea,

The prose was a highlight for me, as was the format the story took place in, our MC writes journal entries as a way to remember, incase they lose their memory.

A short, thought provoking novella that I suggest to anyone who needs a quick read, but doesn't lack in substance, or interesting ideas.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me an eARC for this novella, in exchange for an honest review!

I didn’t realize this was a novella at first and once I realized I was disappointed because I was enjoying the story. This novella was poetic and horrific and beautiful somehow all at once. The story is told through notes/diary entries that the narrator is keeping because in this the rainiest town the rain steals your memories, purpose, and self if you aren’t careful. Laverne isn’t sure why the rain has become to steal memories, but she is trying to survive the apocalypse. Her story is sad and beautiful and I was left with so many questions that I know this is a story that will be sticking with me.

*3.5*

What a dizzying little book. This book is about an older women trying to survive the rain. This rain is like no other rain; it causes amnesia. Such an interesting premise and it really makes you realize how hard it would be to stay dry and how terrifying going outside must really be! And due to the amnesia, we're kind of dumped into this situation as our main character tries to remember what's going on. We're not sure how long this has been going on, what it's from, if anyone has come to help ... it makes for a very unsettling and confusing read. I guess I wished this book was a little longer; would it have gotten boring, maybe. But there were some things that happened right at the end that I just needed a little more ...

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think had this been a novel rather than a novella and thus been able to do more and go deeper I'd have enjoyed it more. It had an interesting atmosphere though and for a debut, I'm excited to see where the author goes from here

I really enjoyed this! It's mostly in a journal entry format, that took a little bit of time to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. The suspense and the story were slowly built up, and although it's only a novella, it seemed so fleshed out. That said, I could definitely read more of Laverne's story and learned more of what happened. Thanks so much, NetGalley, for the ARC!

In the town of Aloisville it is almost always raining and the rain is dangerous, it wipes memories. One drop will take away the last minute, out there too long and the brain is completely blank. This is a brilliant novella written as a journal. Laverne starts writing it to help her remember things, originally she just wrote on her walls. No answers are given, there’s no explanation for the rain. Is it a chemical? Alien? Just in Aloisville? Perhaps this town only as the perimeter is maintained by suited up military with machine guns. Phones are down so no connection with the outside world.
It’s a quick read, hard to put down and the ending left me wanting to read more!

This is a 3.5 star book for me. I always round half stars down.
This novella has more introspection than plot, which isn’t a bad thing, though I did find it to be slow at the start. It picked up about a third of the way in and was a fast ride to the end from that point on. I appreciated the use of foreshadowing in this story. The journal entry format didn’t grab me at first (though that might be a personal taste issue), but as the narration became more involved, the book held my attention a lot better. I was especially impressed with the seamless transition to 2nd person toward the end. For those seeking non-standard story formats and structure, this book will be a breath of fresh air.
The plot was pretty straightforward, which is fine, but I wish the big reveal at the end had implications beyond the protagonist’s situation. Not every book has to have a moral or lesson, but I wish there was some insight that I could walk away with that would apply to me. Perhaps this is just an issue of me not connecting with the protagonist. It was hard for me to find common ground with her in the short span of the book. I wish I had a more articulate analysis of this issue than “maybe I’m not the ideal reader for this book.”
I was also left wanting more details about what was going on with the rain. I know that isn’t what the book was about, at its core, but I wish the rain and the situation it created was analyzed a little more thoroughly, if only in retrospect. There was a lot there that could be mined for interesting statements about human nature and society. I finished this story feeling like it was the tip of a very interesting iceberg.

I really enjoyed Nothing But the Rain. It has a post-apocalyptic feel, and deals with themes of memory, isolation, and survival. I liked the concept of the rain and thought the harm it causes was a new perspective I haven't seen in novels before. The last third of the story was wild!

Engaging. Haunting. Deep.
The perfect book to read on a rainy day...

I would have inhaled this book in one sitting if stupid life hadn't gotten in the way. However, it was all I could think about.

I love how the book explores elements of humanity, survival, purpose and the need for answers within the realm of a horror story. Laverne was the perfect character to be at the centre of all of this.

The format and pacing of the book was perfect. The diary format can sometimes feel clunky and hard to get into but it's a technique that was executed perfectly in this book. The emotions portrayed and the pacing of the diary entries added to the horror and building dread of the book.

The ending was clever. As much as I wanted to know the why, where, what, who of the amnesia rain, the town and the guards, I'm glad it was left open.

There were a couple of typos in the last part of the book. Some where clearly purposeful but some where not.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this book. I'm excited to see what she comes out with in the future!

Nothing but the Rain was a great short read. The characters were confusing and I couldn’t decide what might not actually be accurate. Lots of excitement and possibilities.

Nothing but the Rain is a really interesting debut by Naomi Salman. As a shorter novella (under 100 pages), it read very quickly, and the story was mysterious, and gripping enough that I wanted more. I think that is honestly why I can only give 3 stars - I wanted more from this story. I don't think we explored what the protagonist was feeling quite enough in depth, the secondary characters were very flat, and their motivations weren't clear. We never really learn enough about the child character, which I feel is a missed opportunity given the very strange setting of this story.

Otherwise, I do think the weird setting was very intriguing, and was glued to the pages wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I would definitely read what Naomi Salman puts out next as there was so much promise in this story, it just wasn't *quite* there yet.

I received my copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review! All opinions are my own.

Nothing but the Rain is a sci-fi novella about a town is awash with a particularly (un)memorable phenomenon--the rain clears away memories. The more it comes in contact with you, the more is taken. We follow an elderly lady named Laverne in an epistolary/journal format as she recounts her memories as an assurance to keeping them safe from the rain. She and the rest of the town live in fear that the rain may take away too much, even the memories of their entire lives.

The story explores a lot of interesting themes for its short length. The loss of memory is an apparent one. There's definitely a connection to dementia, with the main character being an older woman, and it really delves into the frightening experience of not being able to trust what you can remember, of the psychological battle that comes with retrograde amnesia. It makes you consider your own memories, how much you might have lost without realizing, without even the effects of amnestic rain.

But the rain isn't the only danger. The internet and most technology is down, besides the utilities. Laverne can't tell time, can't Google something when she needs to, can't digitally contact the outside world or even her neighbors. It puts into dystopian perspective how dependent we are on our devices, how much we have to lose.

What came as a surprise were the thriller elements. Most of it comes psychologically (and I also quite enjoyed the plot twist at the midpoint.) There's a lot of dimension to the story. It's personal, in Laverne's psyche and turmoil. Emotional, in her, though sparse, relationships. Physical, in the threat of mysterious soldiers keeping them trapped in their rainy town. Salman balanced a lot of ideas, and I think she did it well for how little novellas are by nature, and I had a great time reading it!