Customer Reviews

A Thirst For Rain

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This book was not my typical reading material, but I am grateful that I followed my instinct when I bought it. The story is absolutely engaging and the painting of the characters is exceptional. In such a short work Ms. Carrington manages to create great depth in her characters and draws the reader into this small area of Trinidad. What a great surprise and discovery - I hope you will all find it just as rewarding!

Rosslyn Carrington's A THIRST FOR RAIN: A Venezuelan Perspective

Well-written and fascinating, this novel is set in the island of Trinidad and focuses on two women, Myra and her daughter Odile, who suffer the ravages of machismo and single parenthood. They represent the depressing role in which so many women in tropical countries suffer and how the legacy of fatherless children is repeated from generation to generation. Although Myra had indulged in irresponsible sex, she did everything she could to prevent Odile from repeating her mistake by encouraging her to focus on her studies to assure a better future for herself. But the call of sex is powerful and young people are weak and more vulnerable. Unlike Myra, her daughter loses her baby and there is hope that she'll go back to her studies and make something of herself.

In tropical countries, there are also many Slims and Jacobs, Myra's two lovers. Slim is an irresponsible womanizer. He gets her pregnant and treats her with extreme machismo. He also has his eye on Odile and would have made her pregnant if he had the opportunity. Jacob, on the other hand, is an introvert and disabled by his former exploits as a stick fighter. He moves from his small village in the eastern part of the island to its capital where he lives in the past, not caring for the present or the future until he meets Myra. He timidly courts her and eventually becomes her lover. He provides Myra the emotional support and respect which Slim so blatantly denies her.

Written in disarmingly plain English, A Thirst for Rain brings back memories of my country, Venezuela, where a vast majority of the population experiences daily the depressing situations described by the author. Countless women are abandoned by machista and irresponsible men, who father their children and then leave them to fend for themselves and their families. This dire situation forces these hapless women to sell their bodies for a pittance in order to alleviate their abject poverty. Women instinctively know that there are many men ready and willing to offer money for sex. They also know that after satisfying their carnal desires, the men will discard them in that incessant search for sex so characteristic of the Latin male.

Like Myra, the majority of our Latin American women live in a world of anxiety, incomprehension, and insecurity. Many are unaware of the AIDS virus and the danger it poses. Some think that if they get it, luck will save them. Others have a more fatalistic attitude and believe that death will solve the innumerable and unbearable problems, which assail them. While some of these women hope for a stroke of luck or a miracle, others believe it's their destiny or God's will for them. They will eventually enjoy their rewards in heaven. We have a hint of this idea when Myra, after an arduous workday, sits on a park bench with a beer in her hands and with her eyes shut perhaps dreaming of a better world. These moments provide her with a momentary escape from a dreary and debilitating existence.

Myra is conscious of the fact that she has not modeled the best example for and consequently does not have the moral authority to question her daughter's rebellious behavior. However, she has a small ray of hope that her daughter will be different from her by studying hard and graduating and thus saving herself from the fate, the shipwreck, her mother is in. Odile, like so many of us, looks at the world from her own limited point of view without considering the consequences of her actions. She allows her carnal instincts to guide her and like her peers gets involved in the world of sex, which appears to her to be marvelous, exciting and addictive. Little does she realize that this world is like the vortex of a black hole in space, which will suck her into its center with little possibility of escape. Her attraction to this world probably occurred when she listened to her mother's cries of pleasure as she and Slim fornicated. Odile perhaps thinks that she has the right to enjoy the same sexual pleasure. Why not? Her mother's screams of passion and desire perhaps incited her to check it out by immersing herself in the pleasurable world of sexual activity. Although she doesn't fully understand it, she's attracted like an insect to candle light and the possibility of self-destruction.

The tension between mother and daughter grows as their pregnancies begin to show. Like the moon, we have a dark side that we wish no one to see. When the inevitable happens, that dark side is revealed and we must face that revelation. We look for the most infantile excuses to cover our tracks, but we are unable to accept those truths that hurt us, that wound us, that make us feel responsible for our failings. First, it is difficult for Myra to confess that she's pregnant. Not knowing that Odile is also pregnant, Myra feels that she's at a disadvantage. She suffers days of anxiety and regret. Finally, the confrontation between mother and daughter opens a wide chasm between them, so wide that both are isolated and become strangers to each other. When Myra knocks on the door of Odile's room and asks her permission to enter, something she has never done before, she realizes that Odile has a right to privacy, which she had all along denied her. Myra is jolted into accepting the fact that she must ask permission to enter her daughter's room. She never thought that such a thing would happen. Myra had forgotten that everyone has to have his or her own space. Perhaps Myra thinks, like most of us, that our children will never grow up because we will always be older than they are.

I really enjoyed this first novel by Rosslyn Carrington, not only for reminding me of the daily indignities that so many women suffer every day in so many countries, but also of the irresponsible machismo of many men who contribute to women's suffering. I devoured every page and on finishing the novel, I felt that I personally knew Myra, Odile, Jacob, Rory, Slim, and Sebastian. I said to myself: "Damn, I wish I could tell a story like that!"

Jose Francisco Perez Venezuela November 11, 2000

One of my favorite reads this year.

A mother and teenage daughter facing the same dilemma struggle alone, each ignorant of the other's predicament. Set in an apartment yard in Port of Spain, we meet Odile and her mother, Myra, Jakob, the noble stick-fighter, Myra's father, and my favorite, the young boy Rory who loves Odile with all his heart.

Like a fine painting evokes the soul of a place, A Thirst for Rain let me feel Trinidad and it's people. Carrington shows us it's colors and smells, it's trees, flowers, streets and buildings. Through her wonderfully-drawn, touching characters, we get to share their lives.

My only criticism of this book is that I didn't want it to end, I wanted more. However, it is obvious that Carrington is such a talented writer we are sure to get much more of her in the future.

Several stories have been written about single parent homes fighting society's most basic hardships in an effort to rise above predetermined stereotypes or much less, survive with a sense of normalcy. In the United States these achievements are often a tall order for families facing hardships like poverty, crime, and domestic abuse; likewise, in a poor rural setting on the island of Trinidad, families are forced to accept certain realities with time, hard work, and education as their only way out. Myra, a beautiful, hard working Creole style cook, who makes a living selling lunches to people out of a small hut in Port of Spain, Trinidad, strives to hold her business and family together while turbulent forces threaten to pull her whole life apart. On the surface, a reader sees Myra's struggle with her rebellious teenage daughter and a father with deteriorating mental health but this novel goes so much deeper in dealing with feelings of rage, resentment, disappointment and loss.

I was extremely impressed with Roslyn Carrington's amazing ability to develop each character with enough substance and detail that as a reader, you feel a sense of connection with all the people in the story. In a clever way, the author gave all the characters in the book a personality trait that in some way related to people we know in our personal lives and/or ourselves. As Myra's world slowly closed in around her "A Thirst for Rain" brings you deeper into her thought process as well as the minds of those around her. Even with the cultural differences of Trinidad to the States there is no ambiguity in the emotions that are being expressed by all the characters.

This truly inspiring and uplifting tale of hope and sacrifice should be considered an absolute must read for people who are ready for the ultimate drama. For me, "A Thirst for Rain" provided a wonderful example of how close knit communities can pull together in crisis and how the ability of one woman to trust can affect the lives of all those who care about her.

A Thirst For Rain by Rosalyn Carrington

Rosalyn Carrington's deeply-textured language flares with a light that throws her characters into sharp relief, etching their lives with words and helping us see them the passions, fears.

There is Myra a a proud, sensous hardworking woman who finds blessed release in her own restless desires. Odile, Myra's defiant teenage daughter who risk her one chance to escape the family poverty. Sebastian Myra's senile father who has begun to follow his fantasies into a world of trouble. Slim Myra's street vendor boyfriend who spends as much time seducing young woman as do selling cheap trinkets. Jacob, The once famous west indian stickfighter who thought the hero in him was long dead until he meets Myra. Rory the boy next door whose desperate needs for Odile's love may destroy things before the rain comes.

Through the delicate interweaving of there stories A Thirst For Rain is a warm and enjoyable read.

I am looking foward to reading more from this author

I picked this up from the discount rack at my favorite book store and it stayed on my bookshelf for a long time before I thought about reading it. This is a pretty short book - you can probably read it in a day if you really get into it. I thought it was a really good story. This is not your run-of-the mill relationship story as it delved into the interaction between mother/daughter, father/daughter, and neighbor/neighbor. It was a good change of pace from what I usually read. I'd recommend this one for purchase. It's a keeper.

This story features several characters. Myra the single mother, who a cooks and sells food to support her, her teenage daughter Odile and her senile father Sebastian. There is also Rory, who is a young adolescent being raised in atmosphere of terror by his single father. Then there is Jacob an ex-stick fighter who was once a champion but now walks with a limp and makes his living doing leather craft. They all live in the same compound and their lives are closely intertwined. It is set in and about the environs of the capital city of Port of Spain, Trinidad. So one gets some glimpses into "Trini" life like some of the foods and Carnival. This story takes place over the period of a few months.

This book tackles several themes but one of the main is how mothers sometimes get so wrapped up that they do not notice their daughters are growing up before their eyes. And also that children often live by example, so if the mother is having sex with her boyfriend in the house as the child grows up, she will develop certain ideas about sex. Also how friction can develop between mother and daughter. I think this was a good read.

Soul stirring, thrilling, and passionate are three words to
describe Roslyn Carrington's debut novel, A THIRST FOR RAIN. Set in the small valley of northern Trinidad, the inhabitants of St. Ann's lives will change forever as each character anxiously anticipates the pouring rains and an end to the valley's prolonged drought.

Myra: Sensuous and provocative Myra, struggles with the role
of caretaker to her father Sebastian, raising her seventeen year-old daughter Odile, and her tempestuous, sexually-charged relationship with Slim.

Odile: Studious and obedient, Odile grapples with feelings of neglect and Myra's promiscuous lifestyle. Growing exceedingly tiresome of Myra's trysts, Odile becomes defiant and her self-destructive behavior lends itself to a horrific scene by the river.

Sebastian: After losing his wife to a tragic accident, Sebastian feels compelled to escort the citizens of St. Ann safely across the bustling streets. Labeled the town's madman, Sebastian has caused more danger to himself and adds to his family's emotional strain.

Slim: Smooth talking, high-yellow Slim, is Myra's intermittent lover. Slim has little regard for the occupants of this small apartment building and Myra's persistent cries for affection; but Slim cannot help noticing the budding beauty Myra's daughter has become.

Jacob: Former stick fighter Jacob, embarrassed by his infirmity, dwells inside a shoddy row house across the street. Jacob is slightly aware of the heaviness on Myra's shoulders and longs to be her knight in shining armor; staking claim as hero once again.

Rory: Rory, the boy next door, has yearned for Odile's attention and coveted Slim's machismo over the years. Only Rory's longing will change the lives of everyone before the torrential rains.

Told by each character in concise chapters, Roslyn Carrington has
created an unforgettable fictional cast with issues of great complexity. While characterizations were profound, I found moments where the story lacked Trinidad's customs and traditions. As a result of this, I did not fully connect with the Caribbean premise, which could have added more depth to this otherwise electrifying debut. I look forward to Ms. Carrington's sequel to A THIRST FOR RAIN.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
APOOO BookClub

This book is so much different from what's out there. It tugs at your heart from beginning to end. From Rory's survival of daily abuse, to Myra's rejection from her lover, you feel it deep. The characters get under your skins quickly and you can't put this book down. And I understand there's a part two available! I can't wait!

I just finished this book and found it to be a wonderful read. It is a perfect book to take along on vacation (which I did). It is fast moving and gets you engaged from the first page. I am looking forward to reading more from Roslyn Carrington...perhaps a sequel? I would love to learn more about these characters, and the ending feels a little like a cliff hanger. Particularly with Rory and Odile.