This is a beautifully written exploration of a potential future, as capitalism continues to compound class divides and ecological collapse. The writing really is verdant but also languorous, it feels like an elegy for what could be. It flowed and was really a pleasure just to read. The characters were interesting and engaging, with actual interior lives that we got a glimpse of. The writing made everything quite visceral, which I appreciated; I could feel the grime coating my skin as we traveled through the city. That said, the plot felt quite meandering, at times, and while the setting or world-building, the projection of potential futures, was well-developed and served as its own character in the story, it wasn’t anything wildly new for post-capitalism, dystopian, speculative fiction. There was a combination of the characters making choices and things happening to/around them, but nothing felt very pointed. The critique of the elite and ruling class was clear within the first chapters of the book, and never really developed further or deeper. The book navigated important topics outside of economy and ecology, including autonomy, self-worth, and forgiveness, but everything felt more of a glancing blow than a deep dive. I enjoyed the social critique, the world-building, and especially the dense and enchanting writing itself, but with the plot and story feeling only half-constructed it didn’t leave a strong overall impression, even though I had fun while reading it. However, there are so many really great pieces here that I am excited to continue to see what else the author creates.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Moonstruck Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF @15%. The book started out really strong when it was actually about the umbrella artist, but the back to back rape scene and breastfeeding (?) scene have totally killed all my interest in this book. It's not so much the content, I've read books with non-consensual scenes or bizarre/poetic sex scenes before. It's that the quality of the writing of the scene made it clear we were in the Stephen King realm of the treatment of women in novels, and that's not something I'm willing to waste any time on.

The Rain Artist starts with snippets of people’s lives, a series of short stories as chapters, painting a dystopian future of what might be if the earth is not preserved. Overarching through the beginning chapters is a tale of excess in with in the wealthy to the detriment of the environment and those less fortunate. While not my favorite read its well written and will draw you in. Some one that enjoys short stories would really love this book.

First of i wanted to thank netgalley for this ARC

And here is my review.

"The Rain Artist" is a beautifully written novel that immerses readers into a world filled with vivid imagery and introspection. The story follows the life of a young artist who finds solace and inspiration in the melancholy beauty of rain. The writing style is eloquent and poetic, and the characters are well-developed and compelling. While I found the pacing a bit slow at times, the book's exploration of emotions and the power of art make it a captivating read for those who appreciate atmospheric storytelling. Overall, "The Rain Artist" is a solid three-star book that offers a unique and thought-provoking reading experience.

Where to start…
This book was definitely something different. I couldn’t help but pick this book up because the cover is just so beautiful!
The writing of this book is so gorgeous. It is a super fast read and maybe could’ve been better a little bit longer.
The book definitely had some gruesome parts to it which I did not see coming but I found the concept very intriguing.
I feel as though there could be a warning for some of the scenes in this book.
Overall, I think the book was good but maybe I was just expecting a little bit more from the plot.

TW for sexual assault from Chapter 4 onwards.

I’m afraid this book was not for me. Beautifully written, nauseatingly graphic, getting through this book was difficult - the only thing fueling me to continue reading was hope for equally graphic retribution.

I would not recommend this book if you’re already depressed, but if you enjoy sexual violence and clifi, by all means.

Beautifully crafted writing for a very bleak outlook and world.
This book deserved a very long trigger warning list at the beginning.
This is not at all what I expected. From the cover and title, I imagined more wonder and maybe even a little whimsy. I knew this was going to address the place of beauty and art in our current and future world and I was looking forward to that... not a bucket-load of sexual assault, and enough depravity to make me gag.
The first 10% of the book nothing happens, we are just seeing the every day of the multiple point of views, very well written characterisation, with a hit that things are not as they seem... though there is really nothing happening what-so-ever.
13% in and the awfulness starts, 20% in and it just hasn't stopped. The inciting incident is on the horizon, which is another something bad we can guess, but at that stage, I really couldn't take it anymore.
This was not for me, and while the writing craft is impeccable, you might need a shower or two to feel less tainted. I hate hyper-realism preaching how the world is a cesspool and people are monsters. I don't need anyone to hammer that into my face, I have the news. Don't know what the author was trying to achieve but I can certify it was very unpleasant. Will not pick it up again.

Unfortunately this was not for me, but it will be for many other people. My issue was the writing: I found it overly descriptive and at the same time not engaging enough. I am a reader who prefers immersive writing to an engaging plot, so this unfortunately didn't work for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Moonstruck Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20%. First negative review of the year. We are less than a week into 2024.

The Rain Artist is an attempt at a beautiful and horrifying depiction of a world where rain only exists for the wealthy — a future that’s much more present than we might think. The whole book reminded me of the things Nestle does.

0: The Cover

I don’t usually dedicate an entire section to the covers of books I review. I just put a mention of the artist in my opening to credit and praise them. Unfortunately, in doing some digging on who the cover artist was for this book, I discovered that this cover’s illustration was done by AI “artist,” niceaunties in collaboration with cover designer JP Painter. So, while I’ll judge the book separately, I have to criticize the publisher for working with someone who uses AI to make “art.”

I’m going to quote the very book this cover belongs to in order to show the irony of this design choice.

"Technology was as inescapable as the dust that filled the city streets. You could see anything you wanted at any time, buy anything, sync with anyone within your open source. But, in all of it, something was lost. Where had wonder gone? Yochanna watched the failed paper swirl in the throat of the drain. It seemed impossible to make something entirely by hand; machines interceded in the holy process at every stage. For her whole life, it seemed that she had been born at the wrong time."

— Claire Rudy Foster, The Rain Artist, Page 33

One of the reasons I always look into the cover artists is because of the possibility of AI usage in publishing, something we need to be wary of and critique the moment we see it. Publishers need to understand that it is anti-art to work with AI in any capacity.

1: The Plot

Celine Broussard is the world’s only umbrella maker, creating umbrellas exclusively for the ultra wealthy to use at their rain parties. At one such party, Celine is framed for the murder of one of her wealthy clients.

So, I already mentioned Nestle, right? Well, the part of The Rain Artist that I found shallow (pardon my pun) was its core idea. That in this future, access to real water is only for the wealthy.

This book’s take on water in the future didn’t feel very aware of our current issues. A more realistic take on water would be to take into account our rising seas. Write about how there’s an overabundance of sea water and a lack of freshwater. Or make natural disasters like hurricanes and droughts big issues in your future. These are things that are real results of our changing climate.

2: Triggers

My personal thoughts on trigger warnings are mixed, but I do feel it’s necessary for me to inform anyone thinking about reading this that SA is explicitly depicted.

The unpleasant subject matter is pretty common for horror, but I still think we’ve moved past the need for explicit descriptions of sexual assault (if there ever was one). It often just results in torture porn. It’s one thing for a character to experience something and go through trauma related to it, for me to see them experience the introspective part. It’s another for me to have a clear image of the actual assault.

3: Narrative, Prose, and Story

I liked the prose and the author’s style of writing, which is why it was a shame I hated the book so much.

The pacing was too slow for me. The first four chapters (AKA the first 15% of the book) were all character exposition with no plot. I wasn’t uninterested in the characters, but I’d rather the plot teach me things about them gradually, instead of the author front loading the book with information about them. Nothing in the first few chapters grabbed me and kept me wanting more.

The characters were fine, but I don’t think they were anything special. I wasn’t overly invested in any of them.

4: Conclusion

Overall, I didn’t like this book, nor could I recommend it to anyone. At risk of sounding harsh, It read like the author came up with the title, then had to create a book around it. Negative reviews are my least favorite to write, especially for arcs, but there wasn’t a world where I could give this book a positive review.

★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)

What would you say if you were invited to a rain party? Well, in this futuristic world, rain is a luxury for the rich. For rain parties you must have custom umbrellas made for the party. these umbrellas are made with the utmost care and most expensive fabrics and lace. Only one person in this world is able to make these, and it takes months. Celine, our umbrella maker, is framed for murder and the murder weapon is one of her own umbrellas. With our ex-con, Paul, and the chaos that insues, you will read through this queer dystopian fiction novel so quickly.

4/5✨

I have to start my review stating that I received an advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

Honestly, this is not something I usually would have picked up, but the COVER it drew me in and I had to give it a go.

Within the first few pages I could draw the likeness to cloud atlas with its own vibe.

The authors writing is truly captivating, I could not put it down. I was so engrossed by the words. Things made me uncomfortable, and I just had to see it through.

Not to mention I love a good murder mystery/framing.

The Rain Artist tells a story from a dystopian world where the rich elite (the ice drinkers) controls all the worlds natural resources, and can exclusively experience rain in lavish parties. The book has multiple POV where we learn about the world from a handful of people, while following their journey in this capitalistic nightmare world.


The writing is beautiful and poetic and sometimes read as a love letter to nature, but I feel like the language and the very long descriptions often takes the focus away from the story. I wish the writing would differentiate more between the different POVs to make the speaker more clear, and to see some variation in the language used. 


The story is pretty straightforward for this genre, but the pacing is a little uneven. Foster has imagined a beautifully dystopian world, and I just wish we could get to see more of it. The start was very promising with this new world, but the rest of the book didn't live up to the beginning. The book is also very American heavy, which is fine, but it just doesn't hit the same way as it should for someone outside the US. 


Overall I enjoyed the book, but I had bigger hopes from the description.

Excellent cli-fi sci-fi social horror themed around rain and the sheer disparity between the working class and the billionaires. Thanks for the arc.

3.5

If there’s something, this novel proves that maybe you do have to judge a book by its cover.

I have never read something as gruesome, yet beautiful perception of our future up until now. This novel was almost borderline horror, because it is scary to think about how we need to buy absolutely everything for our future only for corrupt people to take advantage of our money… Well, to be fair, it does happen already, but the novel tackles it in an even more gut wrenching way.

Honestly, I don’t really like books set in the future, but this really did it for me. The Rain Artist critics capitalism in a way where it’s easy to break down yet so detailed while also being metaphorical.

However, I do think that the novel is too short to cover such heavy topics, so I do wonder if there are going to be following novels after this to build a series.

Wholly different and unique in the best way. The story started of softly but built and built as it progresses. I did hope for a little more depth and connection to characters, as I am a very character driven reader.

The Rain Artist, by Clare Judy Foster, holds strong commentary on the runaway train of capitalism, alongside prose so sensory-sweet it pinches your cheeks and turns your stomach.

Pulled in first by its stunning cover art, this novel shifted like an oncoming storm. Starting slowly, building into a wild torrent, I was swept along with characters who both intrigued and repulsed, through a world just an off-step from ours. Unsettling dystopian-horror was tempered by two central female characters; artists whose fingers cling to life, reach for more than existence, but come back covered in blood. Their story an illustration of humanity's instinct both to survive and create.

The Rain Artist is a world painted with words that I still see when I close my eyes.

This was an ultimate storyline that was absolutely original and gorgeous! I loved this, it was different from what i've ever read. It was really good and a rollercoaster of a read.

Beautifully written, compelling and distinct main characters, a very vividly-described world, and yet another scathing critique of capitalism in a time of ever changing climate. The plot meanders at times, and sometimes things happen without any foreshadowing whatsoever, but still a pretty decent read.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the chance to read a digital copy of "Thw Rain Artist" by Claire Rudy Foster.
The story started great. It was a intresting Climate Change premise and I loved the flowershop and the umbrella designer.
From chapter 2 everything gets so much bleaker.
Chapter 3 made me extremely unconfortable as the level of discusting events made no sense whatsoever.
What was ther purpose?
Just to disgust the reader with not only phedophilia, but also murder and a thist for inflicting harm...
I cannot recommend this book to anyone after those triggering events that had no meaning.

What an amazing novel. The Rain Artist has everything to become a classic. The prose is great and everything that's on the page is captivating, from the characters' backstory to the worldbuilding. I loved the three protagonists (Celine, Paul, and Yochanna) and couldn't wait to see what happened to them. The concept itself around the lack of rain and rain parties was intriguing and very well executed, making the story believable. I wish the book would have been longer and some parts of it a bit more developed, because it was hard to put it down once I finished and I kept wanting more.

Congratulations to Claire Rudy Foster for writing such a brilliant story. I look forward to reading their next novel.