The Promise of Rain
by Donna Milner
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Pub Date Apr 01 2010 | Archive Date Sep 01 2012
Description
Ethie Coulter was born after her father Howard returned from the war in 1945. She never knew him as he was before, never knew that he had been an open, loving man and a devoted husband. When his wife dies in bizarre circumstances, Howard must take on the burden of looking after eleven-year-old Ethie and her two older brothers. Why, Ethie wonders, is he so silent and withdrawn?
Howard Coulter was one of hundreds of Canadian soldiers sent to the Far East following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Surviving the fierce battle for Hong Kong, he became a POW, moving from camp to notorious camp, watching his friends die of disease, starvation and worse.
Yet Howard carries more than the physical and mental scars inflicted by his captors. Something happened in Hong Kong, a secret that he has carried for nearly two decades. Ethie, inquisitive and fearless, will be the one to work her way towards the truth and help her father come to terms with the past.
DONNA MILNER, like the Coulter family in THE PROMISE OF RAIN, grew up in a South Vancouver ‘wartime’ home. Milner left Vancouver to reside in the town of Rossland BC, where she married, and started a family. Years later she wrote her first novel After River, which has been published in twelve countries and translated into six languages. Here in Canada, it was shortlisted for both the White Pine Award and the Canadian Library Award. She is now working on her third novel.
Advance Praise
"British Columbia author Donna Milner's debut novel is an astonishing read that makes her a wonderful addition to Canada's growing roster of literary writers. After River is a saga about the way secrets and betrayal can tear a family apart, and Milner's perception and depth in telling her story may remind readers of Joyce Carol Oates' We Were The Mulvaneys." Winniepeg Free Press
"Unputdownable read; not just a love story, but a poignant and deeply moving account of how war and conflict can devastate lives across generation.' Publishing News, 'Name to Watch'
"Absorbing tale.' The Bookseller, 'One to Watch'
"Lyrical, playful, profound and entirely engaging, After River is a sweepingly confident debut novel from Canadian author Donna Milner. A vibrant tale of love, redemption, tragedy and deep secrets, this is a heart-tugging piece of work by a writer who clearly understands her craft. Underneath the surface of the delicate interpersonal dancing, Milner's characters are beautifully sorrowful.' The Independent Weekly, Australia
"This is an engrossing novel of family life in a remote community, the catastrophic effect of one incomer's influence and the small-town bigotry stirred up by uninformed gossip. I loved this book and can only wonder why it has taken 20 years to reach its audience...There are many strands for reading groups to tease out in discussion and I am sure this book will be a real runner." New Books Magazine
"Donna Milner has an alert ear for dialogue and a gift for suspense: the combination makes After River electrically charged" The Times
"Donna Milner, in her beautiful and multi-layered debut novel, proves that the past cannot be altered: it can only be lived with - or buried...Throughout, Milner's graceful prose is deliberately propulsive but also quite plain as she moves her narrative forward toward its emotional conclusion. The author's talent lies in her careful plotting" Curled up with a good book
"A heartfelt depiction of a particular time and place...Expect to hear more from this talented newcomer" Booklist
"Wonderful...A fabulous family saga!" Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"In a debut that mixes hothouse melodrama with the eventual getting of wisdom...a tear-jerking, lengthy resolution, Natalie and her family put all the pieces back together as the narrative once again swings between the soapy and the sensitive." Kirkus
"Solidly crafted settings and characters. . . . Charming." Publishers Weekly
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781552788400 |
| PRICE | 24.95 |
| PAGES | 352 |
