A little different than my typical read but entirely worth the adventure out of my comfort zone. Much better than I was expecting!

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3 stars, DNF at 35%

The Book of Rain is a Canadian dystopian novel, which is what caught my attention. I love dystopian novels, and I try to make an effort to read more Canadian authors and Canadian settings.

I really wanted to love this one based on the description. After mining a mysterious new energy source, there are wobbles effecting time and space in a mining town, leading to the area being uninhabitable. After Alex’s sister disappears, and was last known to be exploring this area, he goes to try to find his sister.
The synopsis also talks about other intertwining stories, one of a woman going to an island threatened by environment disaster to search out something valuable, and a flock of birds who seek to save humanity.

The start of The Book of Rain immediately had my attention. The writing was concise, and engaging, and it starts out with a bit of a bang with our first interaction with time wobbles. But as the story progresses, and we jump between the different points of view, and timelines, I started to lose a bit of interest. There is a lot going on in this story, but not all of it felt pertinent. We spend a lot of time with Alex, as he talks about different games he’s created. In a different book, I might have enjoyed that more, but it made this one feel more stilted and took me out of the main story. Following Claire felt like it had the most potential as we realize where she is, and that she’s been dabbling in illegal poaching and animal transportation. That also started to lose steam though as I realized a lot of it was just going to be the internal dilemma of what she should be doing.

When I hit the 35% mark, I decided to read a few other reviews to see what others felt, if they shared my same concerns about the book losing steam, and whether the ending made everything worthwhile. Based on those reviews, many of which said it’s an ending that open to interpretation, and there’s a poem to finish off one person’s story, I wasn’t totally convinced this was the book for me. I can appreciate how a lot of other readers love open endings, but I’ve never found one that works for me. I want an ending to a story, I want to know what happened to the characters. Other reviews also give a little more information about how the plot continues, which also convinced me it wasn’t the book for me, but I recommend others read those reviews for themselves to see if it’s a story that still catches their interest.

All in all, I think this is a book others will really enjoy depending on their style of reading and interests. It gives a lot to think about in terms of environmental effects in the future. If you’re looking for a more philosophical look at a dystopian novel, and prefer slower-paced, introspective stories, this might be the book for you.

I found the description and premise of this book very interesting but the book itself moved too slowly to hold my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.
Thomas Wharton's "The Book of Rain" is thought provoking. Focusing on three characters, and seeding the world with some fantastic elements (e.g., Atlantis exists in this world, people mine a material that causes strange perturbations in time, etc.) to talk about species extinction, capitalism, climate disasters, and family.

Alex and his sister Amery move to River Meadows with their parents. Their father has a job working for the mining company extracting a material called "ghost ore", which causes a variety of physical and perceptual problems but is prized for its energy uses. After an accident at the mine, the town is evacuated and River Meadows is cordoned off. Amery continues to return to "The Park" (as the town is now called) for years after the disaster, and eventually fails to return after one of her visits.

Alex goes looking for her in The Park with the help of one of Amery's friends, a mathematician working on a project to create clouds that can be controlled. The two men have a profoundly disturbing experience while in The Park.

Meanwhile, Claire, a former resident of River Meadows, works for a trafficker in endangered wildlife. On assignment, while waiting to hand over her latest acquisition, she is deeply affected after she encounters an endangered bird.

Then, Wharton moves us to a period long past the lives of these three, and tells us the story of a bird looking for long lost humans, and what it finds.

The characters are wonderfully rendered, and no matter their faults, are compelling and oddly sympathetic. The world Wharton describes is in a mess, with species disappearing, climates in crisis, and some people working to repair environments, and others always ready to profit, regardless of the ethics or the outcomes.

The writing is emotional and insightful, and there are no easy resolutions for the three human characters we followed. I particularly loved the last part of the book, where we see the world through birds' eyes.

The book is stark, imaginative, and poetic.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I love dystopian fiction, and even better supporting Canadian authors so I was excited to read Thomas Wharton's book The Book of Rain, which also happens to take place in my home province of Alberta.

This book follows three main stories: Alex who is searching for his missing sister Amery in Redwood Meadows the now inhabitable town they grew up in, nicknamed The Park. Claire who travels all over trafficking endangered animals and then the birds who are trying to save the humans.

The book has a promising beginning. Alex, his parents and little sister Amery, have left everything behind and are driving across the country so his dad can start a new job. Alex's dad takes them on a back road that his father once took him on growing up and the family stops at a diner in Redwood Meadows which changes everything.

Then we meet Claire, who is working in a trafficking ring smuggling endangered animals across borders. She is supposed to represent humans greed, to take what you want from the environment, use it for your convience and then disregard it. Her story was okay but I had thought that at some point Alex and Claire's stories would come together but they never do, sort of making it feel like it could have been two different books.

I totally missed the third main story about the birds trying to save humans and actually only really realized it from reading other people reviews.

As someone who cares deeply about the environment the message I felt the novel was trying to get across was that fracking and environmental destruction will not only kill the planet, but will also end up destroying us.

After such a long lead up to the end of the book, I found that it ended abruptly and did not tie up Alex or Claire’s stories and then goes into a long poem that wasn't necessary. Overall, I didn't feel connected to the characters, the story didn't wrap up and was way to long at 424 pages!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a miss for me. The author did a great job at shaping a story around an event that alters the lives of several people. I found the chain of events somewhat uninteresting and struggles to relate to any of the characters.

While I love the fact that the story was set in Canada I’m still unclear as to what ghost ore is and what it does exactly. A little too much mystery left at the end for me.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book. Initially I was excited the summary was interesting, in fact different from most books being published so I was intrigued, but sadly, I found it difficult giving it three stars, I found it average, this wasn't a book for me. I found it very slow moving and it would be hard to recommend or encourage others to read it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Thomas Wharton's newest novel explores the world in what it could be, and looks at the connections that are made with the world around us. His work is thought-provoking and emotional and I would definitely recommend this to others to read

This is my first book by Thomas Wharton. He has a great writing style, and this novel gripped me right away. There are several stories happening at the same time. Alex is returning home to look for his sister, Amery, who has gone missing. In a flashback, we learn that when their family moved to River Meadows they encountered a strange phenomenon that the locals refer to as “decoherences”. Nearby, they are mining a substance known as ghost ore, causing these “wobbles” in reality. The occurrence caused Alex to have a vision of the future and Amery to fall into a sort of short-lived coma. Claire was also in the restaurant where this time wobble occurred, and in her present storyline she is travelling across the globe trafficking exotic animals. Throughout the book, there is also a thread of the animal ecosystems and how humans are affecting them. There are also rogue clouds, made up of nanobots I think, affecting the weather.

All of the pieces of the story keep you guessing, wondering how all of the characters will be connected in the end. I couldn’t put this down, I read it in a day. It started out with a fascinating and suspenseful sci fi premise. I could have done without all the comic book and superhero references, but I was fully invested in the outcome.

Let me just say, the outcome was so anticlimactic. I don’t mind endings that are open to interpretation, but this ending was not satisfying at all. The style went from speculative science fiction to spiritual-fantasy at the end, and only one of the story threads was followed through to a resolution. It really left me hanging.

I was drawn in to this book as it was an interesting concept and had all the themes of a gripping story: a missing sister, an abandoned ghost town, environmental activism, and illegal trafficking of animals in a disturbing not-so-far-off future wasteland. Sounds pretty wicked.

Although the writing was beautiful, I continuously hoped for the plot to gain suspense and further spark my interest. This was a very slow read for me. I found the story jumped around to so many different POVs and timeframes that I often felt lost and not grasping what the point is for most of it. The ending was so abstract I almost DNF 95% in.

I felt that the author created an intricate universe that he understood but unfortunately, I did not get the correct invitation to enter it. I had high hopes and now I feel a disappointed reading slump and I would not recommend.

Alex must find his sister Amery after she goes missing. He returns to their childhood town, which has been abandoned due to the waste that has made it not safe for human living. There is also Claire who is trying to find something to write about and another story about a bird.
The Book of Rain by Thomas Wharton gets 2/5 stars from me. I found it hard to follow since it went from different people's perspectives and kept going into different timelines. It didn't keep me interested and I was very bored most of the time. I only kind of understood what was going on near the end. There was also a bunch of random people and unexplained terms which really did not help me understand and enjoy the novel as much as I could have. I feel like if this book was easier to follow, then I might have enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend this book to others. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An odd phenomenon plagues the small mining town of River Meadows, people are losing time. Following a mining accident the town is evacuated and deemed unsafe and dubbed "the Park"

Three stories - Alex is looking for his sister Amery who entered the park and has not been heard from again.
Claire traffics endangered animals.
And the birds who want to save the humans (this part was completely lost on me)

So right off the bat, this book was not reminiscent of Station Eleven at all.
I found the story overly vague and was left with too many questions. We kind of know what has started this societal decline, but the full ramifications are not explained. While this may work for some people, I don't enjoy books like that.
I felt as though the environmental message was lost in a confusing story, and in the end this was not an enjoyable read for me.

Initially I was excited about this book - it felt like it was going somewhere fascinating and exciting. The writing was great - I felt immersed and curious, it reminded me of some other books I've enjoyed - but at some point it became too many words, without progression.

Wandering philosophical literary story that meanders in a dystopian world of wobbles. From brother searching for sister, an animal trafficker, and long walks in the forest, this book is a trip into environmentalism and conservation.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the book for me. The constant meandering was difficult to follow and I wish there'd been a few more answers provided. I found myself skimming around the 40-70% mark when the structure would move away from plot, though that could just be my personal preference. The writing is beautiful and evocative, plus I always appreciate a Canadian setting.

Atmospheric, captivating, and yet sometimes disheartening...I was gripped by this book even as it saddened me. Oh, but that cover is a thing to behold. It teases the reader, and yet reveals much of what will be found behind the cover.
A fine read, and one that will stay with me for weeks to come, I'm sure.

Welcome to River Meadows, the site of ghost ore, a new and invaluable source of energy with a dangerous catch—associated time and space slippage. After a disastrous mining accident, the town is deemed uninhabitable and the entire area is blocked off. Alex, Amery, Claire and Michio have all been affected by the time they spent in the town and The Book of Rain is their story.

I really wanted to like this novel because it contained elements I enjoy reading about—time slippage as well as themes related to the importance of environmental protection in ensuring species survival. However, I found the novel quite difficult to read because of the sheer amount of detail it contained. While the detail provided background information, I felt it prevented me from making a connection to the characters. The plot was twisty and I found the transitions between the characters to be a little jarring. On the other hand, if the intent of the detail was to have the reader experience time slippage the way the characters did, then I’d say it was pretty effective at that.

I think readers who enjoy highly descriptive, lyrical and intricate plots may enjoy this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with copy of this e-book for review.

Themes of human hubris and forgotten environmental stewardship lie at the center of this story that dances a line between sci-fi and paranormal.
I had a hard time putting this book down, but because the story moves so quickly, but because it was so interesting to see where it was leading.

I liked the premise of the novel and overall it was a good read.

Not sure if it was the style the book was written in, but I didn't find myself invested in the characters. I'd still recommend people give it a try though.

With a beautiful cover, "The Book of Rain" is set in the northwestern region of my home province, Alberta. Nicknamed "The Park" by many people who frequent it, the area around a ghost ore extraction site has been harming not only the local wildlife, but also the human population. And yet, people still go into the area. A cult, claiming that when the world ends, that this is the place where the new Eden will be. Researchers, trying to catalogue the environment around it. And caught in the middle of it all, Alex, a man who's just trying to find his sister.

Written through many viewpoints. we see the world through not only Alex's eyes, but also a writer named Clair, and one of Amery's friends, as well as his sister Amery herself. Everyone's had their own troubles in life that have led them to this point in their lives, and we get to know their stories, all intertwined without knowing. Though I only had one quote taken from this book, it's a good one. "One of the guys Ben gets to know had been a crack addict, who cleaned himself up after his friends staged an intervention: they broke all of his crack pipes and beat the shit out of him."

This book just really feels like a fever dream. It's one of those where at the end, you're saying, "What the fuck was that?" It's very unique, and I love it, but I also dislike it because of what it is. It really felt the same as when I was reading Annihilation, and reminds me a lot of it. That's another book like this, where you really need to pay attention to the words, or you'll suddenly be lost. Definitely recommend checking it out for yourself, if you have the chance.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

It wasn't until the very end of <i>The Book of Rain</i> that I realized what had been nagging at the back of my mind the entire time -- this wasn't the first time I'd read something by Thomas Wharton. Years ago, during my undergrad, <i>Icefields</i> was part of the reading list for my Canadian Lit class. With that realization, suddenly everything made sense.

<i>The Book of Rain</i> is a beautifully written text. The shifting narratives -- both in terms of voice and in terms of time -- offered distinct perspectives that made the act of reading feel like piecing together a puzzle, little by little. The pacing was slow, yes, but always felt like it was building up to a meaningful crescendo. The ever-lingering sense of something lurking just beyond our comprehension reminded me of how I felt reading Jeff Vandermeer's <i>The Southern Reach Trilogy</i>, and <i>Authority</i> in particular. I was enthralled from the very first page, and consistently motivated to keep reading in a way I haven't experienced in quite some time.

That being said, when I finally finished <i>The Book of Rain</i> I was just left with more questions than answers. The post-modern fragmented narrative was difficult to parse in the moment, and left too much unsaid in the aftermath. Characters I thought, initially, would be vital to the text were often cast aside in the middle of their narrative, never to conclude their arc in any way that felt meaningful or gave a true sense of closure. I often thought I knew what this novel was trying to be, only to be proven wrong time and time again as it shifted and pivoted in an entirely different direction in the span of a few chapters.

And that, I think, is the core of my frustration. I was pulled into this novel by the incredible premise, and sustained by the beautifully-crafted prose, but was ultimately left treading water without a life preserver by a story that seemed to want to be seven different things at once. That same post-modern style that never quite allowed me click with <i>Icefields</i> was once again the stumbling block that kept me from loving this book in the same way I could love <i>Cloud Atlas</i>.

If just one of those styles was sustained throughout, this book would have been something I'd never stop thinking about. Instead, I feel like I'm left looking at an unfinished puzzle, but have no more pieces left to place.