A FEATHER IN THE RAIN is one of the most powerfully emotional and honest novels I've ever read. It is the story of the resilience of the heart, even in the face of devastating loss, and of how the capacity to hope and courage to love, despite all risk, define us as human.
Jesse Burrell is a gifted horseman and trainer and rider of champion cutting horses. His instinctive connection with the horses he loves has given him some sense of purpose as he struggles to recover from the devastating, senseless loss of his son, Zack. Long separated from Zack's mother, Jesse is deeply lonely, realizing that other than his son, no one has said "I love you" to him in many years.
When Jesse suddenly finds himself beginning to love again, he must find the courage - and the faith - to risk his sorely battered heart.
It's very rare to read a page-tuner of a novel that not only entertains, but also lays bare raw, and very honest, emotions - from hopelessness and despair to elation and joy. A FEATHER IN THE RAIN is that rare book that stays with you long after you finish reading it, and makes you think about what is most important in your life. It's a beautifully written story, its language both straightforward and poetic. The physical settings of the book - the hill country of Texas, the Lazy JB Ranch, the competitive cutting arena, friends' homes, the hospital - all are as vividly drawn as Jesse's thoughts and emotions.
Jesse has both a cowboy's dry sense of humor and terse manner of speech. He believes actions speak louder than words, but at times he wishes he had the right words to express what is in his heart and mind. He struggles mightily with this, knowing he lacks the "skill and the means" to explain what he feels. Luckily for the readers of this extraordinary book, Author Alex Cord does have them. In spades.