Wrapped in Rain: A Novel of Coming Home

Wrapped in Rain is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. It is a compelling, authentic story of humanity's good and evil. The southern setting is an almost cinematic backdrop, the characters so strong and authentic, that I will carry this story--and these people--with me for a long time to come. Tucker Mason never received affection from his wealthy, abusive father. He does have a few happy memories of his childhood. Time spent with his half-brother Mutt and his childhood girlfriend Katie. And, of course, Miss Ella, the housekeeper who was like a mother to him and the only secure source of love Tucker ever knew. Now Tucker is a world famous photographer and has done his best to leave his difficult, painful childhood behind him. But when Katie comes back into Tucker's life with her little boy, Jase, and Mutt escapes from the mental hospital where he has lived because of his schizophrenia, Tucker comes to realize that maybe there are some memories that can't, and shouldn't be, left behind. Through the ever-present voice of Miss Ella, Tucker realizes he has a choice. He can continue to let his hatred--the sins of his father--control his life and the decisions he makes; or he can lay it down and choose the harder path of love and forgiveness instead. I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book narrated by Tom Stechschulte and it was riveting. Very highly recommended.

This beautiful novel brought me to tears many times during the course of reading it. Unlike many novels today, it actually has likable characters that I enjoyed spending time with and will miss now that I've finished it. Martin's descriptions are powerful and full of depth. The title has several meanings that come gradually through reading. This isn't a book with lots of action or suspense. It's a book about true life with real people where sometimes the most dramatic things are the truest. I wish I knew a Mama Ella. Mutt's dream is possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever read. Read this book and pass it on to your friends.

This book wrapped me in tears, laughter and healing. Although I have read and been blessed by both non-fiction and fiction books about abuse and recovery, very few have spoken to my heart with the depth and power of this one. Martin writes so vividly that reading it was like watching a really good movie. My eldest daughter is also an avid reader, so when I finished it, I went and handed it to her. With tears dripping off my chin, I hiccuped and said, "You GOTTA read this!" She cocked an eyebrow and said, "Happy tears?" I nodded and sniffed, "Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Is it possible to forgive those who are unable to ask for forgiveness? Can the hurts of our childhood be redeemed? Can we ever sacrifice too much? Charles Martin tackles deep questions like these in his sophomore stand-alone novel, WRAPPED IN RAIN. As he did in his debut novel, THE DEAD DON'T DANCE, Martin masterfully blends lovely prose, interesting characters, well-integrated faith themes, and a moving plot to create a powerful story that will long linger in the mind of the reader after the last page is turned. In rural Alabama, two abused boys find their only comfort and hope in the 45-year-old childless widow Miss Ella Rain, the only daughter of the son of an Alabama slave. She stands as a solid force between them and their evil, alcoholic, and wealthy father Rex. Beaten bloody by her boss and paid only minimum wage, she sacrifices her own aspirations and dreams to ensure that both Tucker and his half-brother, Matthew ("Mutt"), know they are loved --- by her and by God. Despite her best efforts, the boys' relationship with their father leaves terrible scars. Long after Miss Ella has died and Tucker has found fame as an international photographer, his bitterness toward his father makes it nearly impossible for him to lay the ghosts of the past to rest. Thirty-three-year-old Mutt is now a schizophrenic, obsessive-compulsive paralyzed with fear at the thought of contact with germs, and committed by Tucker into a mental health facility, Spiraling Oaks. Mutt tries to scrub out his past failings by scouring everything around him clean with bleach and Windex --- cars, water towers, houses, his room at Spiraling Oaks. Kudos goes to Martin for his handling of the damaged character of Mutt, who evokes disgust, fear, sympathy, and finally deep compassion. Tucker and Mutt's lives are about to intersect with their childhood friend Katie, now an abused wife fleeing her husband, and mother of the endearing little boy Jase. The relationship between Tucker and Katie unfolds sweetly and slowly, in one of the better romantic portrayals in Christian fiction. Wisely, Martin resists the need to tie up all the loose ends of their relationship, which has grown more complicated by the book's end. He leaves it in a strong moment --- with a love on Tucker's part that eerily echoes the sacrificial love of Miss Ella. And indeed, the ghostly voice of Miss Ella, speaking in italics to Tucker, is never too far away. "Forgive men and your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you don't, you're the one who will suffer." Martin has a lovely way with words, thought sometimes a bit long-winded: "South of Jacksonville, the river's waist bulges to three miles wide, sparking little spurs or creeks peopled by barnacled marinas and long-established fish camps where the people are good and most of their stories are as winding as the river." In his hands, even a description of the residents of Spiraling Oaks and their medications reads like poetry: "Only a handful were ingesti