Rain Reign

The effects of Hurricane Susan on Rain Reign’s elementary-school-aged characters allow Martin to explore the aftermath of trauma on children. The storm leaves a lasting and profound mark on Rose and her classmates; as Rose recounts, “when Mrs. Kushel asked what we would like to write about, every single one of us said, ‘Hurricane Susan.’ We are not finished thinking about our ruined homes and wrecked artwork, our washed-away bridges and lost dogs” (184). In this passage, Martin gives concrete examples of how the storm has disrupted the characters’ lives. The washout in their driveway impacts Rose and Wesley’s ability to leave their home, for example, and strands Rose with her borderline abusive father. Rose’s classmates experience other hardships because of the storm as well. Rose and Weldon’s excursion to Gloverstown also highlights the communal hardships of the hurricane as families are stranded or displaced, lose their homes, or lose access to basic necessities like electricity and phone communication. Rain’s past owners, who experienced displacement in a storm a year before the story, are still dealing with their losses. The lost pets who are brought to the animal shelters also demonstrate the fragility and disruption that families experience as they become separated from their beloved animal companions. Rose’s story serves as an example of the effects that such traumatic events can have on children.

Rose is also affected by personal tragedy that occurred early in her life: the death of her mother, although Rose does not know her mother died until the end of the book. Wesley’s being a single parent adds to the impact of his behavior on Rose and increases the pressure he feels to raise her himself, no matter what his behavior is or what the costs are to his daughter. The fact that Rose still looks through her mother’s keepsakes as a way to experience connection with her implies that Rose still needs and is longing for a way to understand her missing parent. Her mother’s absence may also exacerbate the effect of Wesley’s problematic parenting because Rose doesn’t know any other parenting alternative. Just as the storm has profound effects on individuals and families in the communities it reaches, so does Rose’s family tragedy reverberate across time to affect her. The book’s themes combine these communal and personal challenges to examine Rose’s growing resiliency as the book progresses, ending with a hopeful future in which she is living with Weldon and planning to get a new pet.