A Drop of Rain

by Heather Kirk

In this dark and moving young adult novel, sixteen-year-old Naomi's best friend has moved away, and Naomi herself is starting at a new high school. Curtis, the artistic guy she likes, seems to be avoiding her, making her feel alone and lonely. On top of lots of difficult homework and an awful part-time job, she also has problems at home. Her dying aunt has come to live with her family, Naomi's mother seems to be on the verge of a breakdown, and her Polish father is absent and unsupportive. How can Naomi overcome all these negatives in her life? Over three harrowing months on the eve of the new millennium, the story emerges of a young woman finding strength and of a broken family mending. The action and circumstances of the book are laid bare in a series of diary entries, not only by Naomi, but also by her boyfriend, her mother, her mothers boyfriend, and Naomi's employer, giving the reader a much fuller understanding of what brings Naomi and her mother to the brink of despair - and back.

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[LisaMarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5. The angst in this seems oddly dated. It smells like the 1979-80 school year. Though sections are told in turn by each of the main characters, they all sound like Naomi's voice, particularly her mother's, and all as far as I read (to around 11%) seemed way more annoying than sympathetic.
And the dialogue! What teenager refers in conversation with another teenager to the educational institution they attend as "high school," as in, "Mom bought a house near East Collegiate so I could walk to high school.."