Rain Song

Tile: RAIN SONG
Author: Alice J. Wisler
Publisher: Bethany House Books
October 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0477-7
Genre: Inspirational/women’s fiction

Nicole Michelin loves her family, especially her grandmother Ducee, who raised Nicole after her missionary mother died in Japan. Now, Nicole avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and everything Japanese--except for the doll her mother gave her.

Now, a column Nicole had written for an on-line site, Pretty Fishy, is generating interest from a Harrison Michaels in Japan. His e-mails are friendly, and tug at Nicole’s heart. Even when she wants to end the friendship because of his locale, she finds she can’t. But when Harrison reveals that he and his family knew her as a child, Nicole will have to face her fears in order to discover her past and take a chance on love.

RAIN SONG is the debut novel by Alice J. Wisler. Written in first person, Nicole goes around amongst her North Carolina relatives, interacting, yet wondering if there is something wrong with her. After all, she turns down a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, and she has no desire to date. But a man from the forbidden island across the sea tugs at her heart.

I never did get into RAIN SONG the way I would have liked. There was a lot of telling in the book, and not much showing, so I didn’t get to know Nicole very well, but only in bits and pieces. Yet, there is something compelling about the story that draws the reader in and keeps them reading, despite the lack of caring. I’m sure we’ll see more books by Ms. Wisler. And RAIN SONG doesn’t seem geared for any particular age group, though I think the intended target group is older rather than younger. $13.99