The Long Rain: A Novel [Paperback]

Peter Gadol (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2000

Lawyer Jason Dark has finally gotten his life together - he has revived his father's dying vineyard and happily reunited with his wife and son. But one rainy night as he drives recklessly along a mountain road, Jason accidentally hits and kills a young man. When he tells no one, the death is pinned on a drifter. In an attempt to save the innocent man, Jason decides to defend him in court. But the case takes an unexpected twist - one which will haunt Jason for the rest of his days.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jason Dark's life is going far better than he expected. He has revived both his family's small California winery and his dead relationship with his wife. Even his teenage son seems content. But he still dreams, inexplicably, of disappearing and is compelled to take secret, solo drives at the day's end. When Jason skids into a boy one night, he procrastinates about turning himself in, persuading himself that the truth will change nothing: the youth is dead, and now he needs to protect his family. "I don't remember why I had decided that I couldn't confide in the woman who was rubbing my hands with her hands, trying to warm me up. I don't recall what exactly I was thinking, but I can remember the heaviness that suddenly weighed me down, like my arms were stone, like my legs were stone, and I do remember that I had to slide down to the floor of the bathroom. This was the moment when I began to lie." Peter Gadol is up to the constraints of the literate, internal thriller, as well as the hard task of enlisting the reader's (occasionally frustrated) sympathy for this fallen man. He is also good on physical labor--composing energetic, loving descriptions of vineyard tensions and nature's fickleness. Even if The Long Rain contains a few too many coincidences, doublings, and easy solutions, it provokes one to consider the fragility of relationships, the quick development of doubt and portrayal, and the inevitability of disaster. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

When it rains on lawyer and would-be vintner Jason Dark's life, it does indeed pour. But the clouds part intermittently, allowing the sunlight to render even more startling the shadows cast by Jason's demons. In the midst of a promising new start both in his ancestral vineyard and in his marriage, Jason allows stubborn self-indulgence to put his new-found happiness at risk. His cover-up of the circumstances surrounding a tragic accident near his property forces him into a sinister relationships, and a subtext of chilling dread permeates the narrative. Distracted by entertaining wine-making lore, readers will forgive Gadol (The Mystery Roast, LJ 11/15/92) his convenient tying-up of loose ends after the novel's climax, all at the expense of realism. On the whole, an absorbing and highly suspenseful book for public libraries.?Margaret A. Smith, Grace A. Dow Memorial Lib., Midland, Mich.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (May 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312263546
• ISBN-13: 978-0312263546
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book filled with unpredictable suspense., January 14, 2000

By 

Justin Windham (Encinitas, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Long Rain (Paperback)

I read this novel in my 12th grade English class and was pleasantly surprised by the way it toyed with my thoughts. At first, as I was getting a feel for the characters, I enjoyed the descriptive way Mr. Gadol wrote about the vineyards and his surroundings. Jason (the protaganist/antagonist) had finaly pulled his life (marriage and family) together, and restored his father's dilapidated vineyard when his need for speed got him into trouble...he hit a teenage boy. Although I knew Jason would not turn himself in, I still wanted him to. After days of not confessing, I found myself hoping that he wouldn't get caught. But after he created one lie after another to cover up his fatal error, and the reader has to listen to his decitful way of thinking, I began to dislike Jason and I wished he would soon recieve his comeupence. My dislike of the character increased as he became the lawyer of the man the crime was pinned on. I also dispised his wife for continuing to come back to Jason after leaving him for valid reasons. It was hard to find a character I truly liked. Aw, but that is the sign of a really good author--someone who can make you really like or even hate a character. My feelings changed towards the end of the book when the story line takes an unsuspecting twist. No matter what, I always enjoyed the poetic and serene writing of Mr. Gadol. THE LONG RAIN shows how one might justify a seemingly hienous crime. Read it--you won't be disappointed. Kudos to Mr. Gadol. Well done. One of my all time favorites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So real to life, July 26, 2002

By 

CAROLYN (CURWENSVILLE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Rain (Hardcover)

The protoganist has lost the two things that mean the most to him: family and job. As he sorts out his life and tries to start anew, things start going well, then everything suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Guilt from being involved in an accident that claims the life of a teen-age boy consumes his thoughts. He wants to confess, but fails to do so. We, the readers, feel for him. What would we do in this situation?

There are many characters and conflicts in this novel that stir the emotions. The main character is a lawyer, and although a lawyer should be ethical, it is the human side that takes over. I can relate to issues that are raised and to the protagonist. I hope that I would react diffently, but would I under the same circumstances?

I likee the book for the style of writing, the plot, and how it stirs the emotions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very provocative, September 17, 2004

By 

sigridmac "Sigrid" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Rain: A Novel (Paperback)

I really liked the main theme of this book, which was the moral dilemma that the character faced after he killed a boy in a hit and run accident. I also thought that the author had a marvelous command of the English language and used beautiful descriptive passages. Also loved the repetitive theme of the hard-driving rain.

However, I found it to be a very slow read during certain scenes in the vineyard, and there was something one-dimensional about the characters other than Jason. I never really got a feel for Julia and Tim. And I certainly agree with one of the other reviewers here on Amazon that the ending seemed completely unrealistic, and I could not picture a lawyer confiding in his client the way that Jason did, no matter how distraught he felt. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the book very much.