STAND IN THE RAIN

Stand in the Rain, a short novel, falls as straight and chilling as a November downpour. It is the story of the New Zealand city girl who takes on and up with a boy from the bush, Abungus, and accepts with a certain resignation a drifting life without roots and little solace besides what they bring each other. Abungus is on the rebound from Dell, who ditched him, says he always loved Sarah, and needs her. They try to make do in the city, but Abungus is arrested for selling, as unwitting front, a hot truck, and they head for the bush and more random jobs, until Abungus finds a place as a rabbiter.... Miss Watson is a young New Zealander, and her slight story is articulated with care and precision.