Stunning. First 5-star read of the year. Naomi Salman has RANGE, and Laverne is such a compelling and relatable main character. From her panicked and punchy early entries to final revelations, you're right there with her. Excellent mystery/sci-fi splashed with creeping horror with a kinda folklore-y feel. Maybe it's all that rain. I wish I was still in school so I could write fifty essays on the correlation between memory and humanity and what the body remembers even after the mind has forgotten. God, I'm going to be thinking about this for a while....

This novella takes the form of diary entries, written by a retired doctor who’s trying to keep her mind together in a small town where exposure to the constant rainfall erases memories. No one knows what’s causing the phenomenon, but even drinking and bathing can be dangerous if the water isn’t properly prepared.

This story was gripping, with a pretty shocking ending. I liked the epistolary style. But I wasn’t totally satisfied with it because the mysterious phenomenon remained a mystery in the end. I didn’t need it to be completely explained in technical sci-fi detail or anything, but a little more light shed on the scope of it would have been nice.

Representation: Black main character & other characters

This tiny novella packed the biggest punch that only Tor and Salman could put together. I loved this with every fiber of my being.

I loved this anxiety inducing short read. Perfect for a rainy day at home. My stomach gets a little queasy just thinking about it now.

A short, sharp, lovely little apocalypse novella, featuring a tightly constructed plot, wonderfully unreliable narration, and a couple of extremely well-done twists: I highly recommend NOTHING BUT THE RAIN.

Laverne lives in a town where the rain has taken on a strange quality: the erasure of memory. The town has been locked down by a military force, and no one is allowed in or out. When some of her fellow community members start to formulate a plan for escape, she’s pulled into it despite her best efforts otherwise, and it kicks off a fast and inexorable roll toward disaster.

The journal-style narration is an apocalypse-story standard, and it works very, very well here. Laverne is a really compelling narrator, and the way that unreliable narration is baked into the plot is truly delicious and makes for a fun, twisty read, which is written well enough to actually deliver what it attempts. I do wish the worldbuilding had been fleshed out just a little more — I especially had some questions which felt unsatisfyingly unresolved about the ending — but in general, this was an excellent story, which I didn’t want to put down once I’d picked it up. (And it’s the very definition of short and sweet: I devoured it in a couple of hours.)

This is out 3/14, and it’s definitely worth putting on your preorder lists. Thanks so much to Tor and Netgalley for the early copy!

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Nothing but the Rain is fast-paced novella with intersting characters and world. The FMC is an retired doctor who gets traped in her hometown by constant, mind wiping rain. The story is told in short bursts of FMC written thoughts where she tries to chronicle what is happening. The author keeps up with the feeling of isolation and fright through the novella, and really made me anxious-something I loved. In addition the FMC doesn't pretend to be better then she is - she acknowledges her shortcomings and issues. This kind of POV is quite refreshing.

I was very very intrigued by this book as it was described as a sleepy little town with it's memories getting stuck in the water cycle. Sounds absolutely amazing! My biggest problem with this book was the fact that it was a novella. I wanted sooo much more from this intriguing topic. I really enjoyed the writing style as it is told in a series of journal entries. It was interesting to see our main character see if she was losing her mind or if it was a government experiment or if her memories were even really hers. The writing was stunning. The author knows how to set the scene and allow you to visualize what was happening. Given that this is a debut, I will 100% be picking up whatever this author writes next, hoping that it is a full length novel!

Nothing but the rain - Naomi Salman

“A sleepy little town discovers its memories have become part of the water cycle”

A short dystopian novella, told journal style. The FMC was a little hard to like, and whilst there was really interesting elements to the story - such as the memory keeping and the buddy system - it wasn’t enough to keep me entertained.

Overall a 3 star read.

**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

An apocalyptic amnesia takes over Aloisville, and Laverne isn't sure when it started or whether the world outside of town is safe. She knows that someone is airdropping food and keeping the electricity and water going and that armed guards dressed in rubber line the barricaded town. She forgets these details often but her many notes on the walls of her house remind her the important details, until she starts a journal. Nothing But the Rain reminded me of my creative writing teachers encouraging stories that allow their readers to know more about what's going on than the characters do. Salman does a fabulous job of making that a narrative imperative of the story. By its nature, a diary written by someone suffering constant bouts of amnesia means you will piece together and remember things the main character cannot. Despite knowing more than Laverne, Salman does not allow you to know everything, leaving some key details up to you to decide, which is a difficult line to walk as an author, and one that Salman walks brilliantly. You know just enough to keep it interesting and not too much to be bored with the world.

Salman tells Laverne's story in three distinct but intriguing sections that together beg the question of whether a crisis situation where you at least know your basic needs will be met is preferable to the unknowns of freedom. Salman quietly answers the question early on: "Turns out we can't just stay inside all day. Not even in the middle of the apocalypse," but still leaves you wondering what will come next as details small and large are forgotten.

This novella is a quick and interesting read, which I recommend for anyone who enjoys reading stories about memory, forgetting, and apocalypses of unknown origin.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Nothing but the Rain is a speculative fiction novella, by Naomi Salman, that takes place within the unassuming (and near-ghost town) of Aloisville, plagued out of the blue with incessant bouts of rain and lost memories.

This wary narrative is patched together with sage confessional journal entries, idiomatic epistolary, and ultimately, the misanthropic firsthand account of Laverne Gordon. Reminiscent of Bradbury’s approach to speculative fiction and Lowry’s ambivalent wonder towards dystopia, Salman pairs her stream of consciousness style with a cynical voice that begs for an answer to the mysteries entrapped in the rain. Laverne is a sixty-three year old divorced doctor who lives alone in the bland house that she has lived in all of her adult life. Sharp-tongued, headstrong, and with her ex-husband long gone, she delves deeper down the rabbit hole of conspiracy and suspicions about the neverending rain. From the government and military-sanctioned procedures to aliens and anomaly, she is left to have conversations with herself through forgotten thoughts and anxious reminders inscribed in the aging wallpaper.

That is until she finds a notebook where this story begins in media res, in this notebook she expresses her thoughts and peculiar experiences. Convinced that both the rain and tap water is tainted, she spends much of her time theorizing explanations and solutions to reduce the effects that the persistent rains outside have had on the human psyche beyond wearing down the dwindling population of Aloisville. Katie Rathbone and her young daughter, Zoe, become the only company to Laverne as part of an unspoken “buddy system,” Katie’s company especially proves to be in sleuthful nature as ulterior motivations are eventually revealed to the audience. Their dystopian alliance rapidly evolves from friendly biweekly visits to joining a revolt with a small group of individuals against the “black rubber[ed]” guards that are upholding a mass blockade. No access to technology and poor strategy won't save these people, Laverne's only plan is to save herself.

This slow burn novella becomes thriller-esque by the halfway point when emotions soar and paranoid-stricken fears plunge Laverne into back-to-back panic attacks until her power is cut one fateful night. Forced to wander onto the outskirts of “plastic streets” and Baistach Hill, this self-proclaimed selfish old woman learns that her survival isn't the only one at play. The conclusion had me reeling from the whiplash of betrayal, potential-occult secrets, and sacrifices. I was mesmerized by the consistent water and rain imagery and impulsive atmosphere surrounding this world. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Salman's depiction of a mildly disheartening tale which wavers against estranged truths and false perceptions of what's beyond our familiarity. I give Nothing but the Rain four out of five stars. While it deserves the badge of being an immersive, engaging piece of Speculative fiction, an extensive focus on reimagining tropes unfortunately becomes an anchor that weighs down the scattered pieces of the storyline, preventing a tight, cohesive storyline that can appeal and resonate with readers outside of the Dystopian and Sci-Fi genres.

Review by Nicole Verbitsky - Staff Poet.

A unique novella by author, Naomi Salman told in diary entries which plays with themes of memory, dystopia and humanity. I enjoyed this quick read which follows Laverne, a woman living alone who recounts her daily actions in a journal as with every drop of rain that hits their skin the people lose some of their memories. What’s in the rain, how did it start, and how will Laverne and the rest of humanity find a way to survive in these strange new times. This novella could easily be adapted and made into a full length novel. I would definitely read that as while I loved this gem of a story, I wanted to know more and spend more time with these characters. I loved the unique concept of memory loss via rain and haven’t seen this done before. The memory loss allows the author to play with the concept of reality and means you feel unsure alongside the characters who only have their written accounts of what happened to rely on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique sci-fi dystopian story with an explosive ending. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc of this book.

*** 3.5 ⭐️ ***

The apocalypse is happening. The rain that erases everyone’s memories within seconds of it touching their skin.

Laverne, a retired doctor, had devised a plan to not “forget” what these horrific days are like. This story is told through her diary entries and how she survived on a daily basis through this nightmare.

Is there a world outside of this town that’s getting washed away into oblivion? Who knows. If you try to escape over the border, the guards will shoot you.

For me, on a personal level, this story was too disjointed to follow at times, with random thoughts being put on the page but, in retrospect, I understand why the author did that, as everything that occurred was through the eyes of a woman experiencing it firsthand.

A short novella, awkward at times, but a good read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The residents of Aloisville have a problem, but what it is they can't quite remember, at least not when they've exposed to fresh rainwater. Nothing but the Rain is narrated by a retired medical doctor, Laverne. Through her we learn about how it always seems to be raining in Aloisville, and the rain steals your memories, the more you're exposed to the more you lose. Cell phones, televisions and the internet no longer work, but everyone seems to have food, water and electricity. Some armed organization has blockaded the town and shoot warning shots when someone gets to close to their barriers.

Divided into three sections, we see the events through Laverne as she details her experiments with water and the journalling system that serves as her back up memory, and drives the story. As humans do, those who have survived so far have developed coping methods and routines, including a buddy system. The latter drives the story, as Laverne's buddy, Katie announces their is a plan to get out.

While the central concept is disturbing, Laverne has a strong voice and is very crafty and methodical. This is demonstrated in her testing out how long the memory loss remains active in the water or how she strategizes every outdoor journey.

If there is every the chance to return to the environs of Aloisville, I'd like to explore them. This novella exists in the doorway to madness and will encourage the armchair adventurer to consider their own survival.

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Rain makes people forget. One woman tries to figure out why, and who's keeping the population of Aloisville captive in the constant downpour.
Review
Purely through my own error, I went into this expecting it to be a longer version of a different story I’d read from Tor and about rain. Within the first page, it was clear that wasn’t true, but I do admit that I went in expecting a lyrical, emotional story, and this is more middle of the road adventure.
There’s nothing wrong with that. At the same time, the story felt long to me – a good short story stretched out to unsatisfying novella length, and I thought it showed. The concept is interesting, but never really explored. The story focuses more on the daily mechanics of one woman’s reaction – a little bit of her analysis of how the rain causes memory loss, a little speculation as to why it’s happening, and how she writes reminder notes to herself. There are a few red herrings about her identity that are not explored, and the causes are not really explored either. As a short story, that might have worked well. As a novella, I expected much more from the resolution and didn’t get it.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast-paced, quick read. Intriguing premise, with a twist or two, leading to a gut-punch ending.

Nothing but the Rain is a short yet compelling read. Taking place in isolation, it is a perfect setting for suspense. Laverne is an intriguing narrator, and I felt I grew to enjoy her voice more at the tail end of the story. Many questions are left unanswered, and I found that better than any explanation Salman might have given.

If you like epistolary stories, apocalyptic/quarantine scenarios, and morally gray narrators, I recommend giving this a go when it's released in March.

Holy-omg-my-brain-is-going-to-explode!
The last line of this book produced an audible gasp out of me that concerned my husband enough to check on me in my office. Consider my jaw on the floor.

Naomi Salman, you really said "please hold, I'm writing a mind-melting masterpiece"

The FMC, Laverne, is witty and impossible not to love. The stream-of-consciousness style writing leaves you just as confused as the Laverne is due to her unreliable memory -- all the while you know what others have said and done even though she has forgotten! The tension latched onto me and would not let me go! 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

the prose, outstanding. The writing, undeniably amazing. Nothing but good things, please give this a read!

This was OK. I didn't always stay engaged, and even though it's quite short, if seems like it could have been shorter. I give the author another try if she writes more.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

The brevity of this book really bumps it up a star for me. I don't know if it would work in a longer format (I love an author that knows the appropriate length for their idea). It's a cool idea that definitely requires significant suspension of disbelief but it's also got some light thriller elements to it that I really enjoyed.

This is an intriguing little novella. It's mildly epistolary, in that it's framed as a journal entry and later, as a letter to someone. The setup is that our older journal writer lives in a town where the rain can wipe your memory, and the events of about a week or so (though, again, because of the rain wiping your memory, the timeline is deliberately hazy). What Salman manages to do in a few hundred or so pages is a masterclass in tension and degrees of unreliability of narrators. If you're looking for a tight little mystery with a middle aged protagonist and some exquisite tension, pick this up when it comes out in March!