AFTER THE RAIN

by Norma Fox Mazer ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 29, 1987

This story about a teen-ager coming to terms with her grandfather's death is beautifully and sensitively written, sounding the basic chords of the pleasures and pains of family relationships. Rachel, 15, is the youngest in her family, half the age of her next oldest brother, and views her parents with loving frustration: they seem so old. When her mother's father, an acerbic man who seems able neither to give nor accept affection, is discovered to have cancer, it is on Rachel, surprisingly, that he depends. She begins to accompany Izzy on his afternoon walks, at first cross at being taken from her budding relationship with her first boyfriend, but more and more compelled to her grandfather's side. When Izzy must go to the hospital, Rachel finds it impossible to stay away; it is she who is with him in his final moments. Later, her boyfriend helps her come to terms with Izzy's loss. What distinguishes this book, making it linger in the heart, are the realistic portrayals of the tensions, guilt, and sudden, painfully moving moments involved in Rachel's and Izzy's situation. Further, Rachel's position in a family widely separated by generations gives a rich context to her experiences: she and Izzy are not alone--their struggles take place amongst others whose strengths and weaknesses lend depth to the story. At story's end, Izzy is gone, but Rachel goes on, taking, in her way, Izzy with her.

Pub Date: May 29, 1987

ISBN: 0786279133

Page Count: 291

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S