SEND DOWN THE RAIN by Charles Martin
Charles Martin is an author who leads with his heart. No matter what characters he creates or what plot he devises the heart will always be centerstage. That is certainly the case with SEND DOWN THE RAIN, Martin’s latest novel. It is actually a sermon on the supremacy of love in our lives. The book tells us we must keep the faith – faith in ourselves and faith in others. We must also never lose hope no matter what storms blow into our lives. But even over these two traits we must have love, for others and for ourselves, This is the heart of his story and the message of his book.
The main character in the book is a man named Joseph, or Jo-Jo as he is sometimes called. At the present time of the book he is in his early sixties. However as we turn the pages we learn of Joseph at a variety of times in his life. He is essentially a veteran who has seen the worst of times in war and the most horrible acts of men in peace. He has been loved, hated, admired and reviled but none of this shakes him. He is his own man with his own life, and he lives it mostly in solitude.
Still there is that one great love he still retains, and that is for a girl named Al;lie. She and Joseph met as teenagers and the bond between them never died. Their paths diverged and they have not kept in touch. She has married twice and he none. Perhaps at this time and at this age they can reconnect again.
Martin is such a good writer that you can start this story wondering where the heck it is going. It seems to be caroming from place to place. But slowly and surely Martin weaves his story into a comprehensive and compelling one. Every word he puts on paper is for a purpose and it is all part of the overall narrative that draws you in like a moth to the flame.
Nobody can tell a love story like Charles Martin. I have called him “the new king of the romantic novel” and he most definitely is. This book proves it once and for all. You are not going to be prepared for the emotions Martin is going to wring from your body with this story of love and sacrifice. And he brings forth those emotions with subtlety and honesty.
He also makes this story completely unpredictable. This is not done in a contrived way for when you finish the book you look back and see there were signs all through the chapters that foretold the big reveal at the end. Sometimes with major twists like this I feel manipulated but in this book not at all. It all flows as it should and the secrets are revealed as they should be.
I repeat, the book is actually a sermon, not preachy at all but with a message. Martin shows valiant examples of faith, hope and love but Joseph learns, as do all the readers of this book, that the greatest of these is love. If you can deliver that kind of message in a book that is totally entertaining and enjoyable then you have brilliance in your art. Charles Martin has it.
It would be easy to say SEND DOWN THE RAIN is Martin’s best book, but that would take away from my other favorite of his WATER FROM THE HEART. So let’s just call it a tie.
SEND DOWN THE RAIN is published by Thomas Nelson. It contains 352 pages and sells for $25.99.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
