I received Beat the Rain by Nigel Jay Cooper as an e-book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to John Hunt Publishing and Nigel who I also spoke to!
“Louise, grieving the death of her lover Tom, does the only thing she can think of to make the pain go away – she marries his twin brother Adam. But letting go of her past isn’t as easy as she thought. After a seemingly chance encounter with a charming stranger called Jarvis, all of their lives begin to unravel. Beat The Rain is a moving and vulnerable psychological thriller, depicting the reality of a relationship in decline. At times humorous, at times heartbreaking, it explores what it means to live, to love and to lose.”
After starting off slow and already deciding I wasn’t enjoying this book Cooper managed to captivate me and pull me back into the story line. Louise and Adam’s lives seem almost predictable at first, after subconsciously filling in the rest of the plot line the shocks and surprises which Cooper writes were a pleasant surprise. The main, and arguably the most shocking part of the book made me put it down for a few minutes just to process what had just happened. Cooper’s writing to lead up to these twists were fantastic and I can’t wait to read another book by him.
The main characters had happily switched their domestic roles, to Adam being the loving stay-at-home parent and Louise being the wage-earner in the household. This dynamic lead to Louise feeling like the odd one out within her family which then leads to meeting Jarvis. Although all 3 of these characters have very likable qualities, Cooper also ensures enough depth to show their flaws as well, and so the connection to them really enabled me to sympathize for them.
I wouldn’t read this if you enjoy happy endings, although I found the ending to be eerily satisfying in relation to the story. This is a definite must read to anyone who enjoys a book to bring out emotions. If you want to get hold of this book then it’s available for purchase from Amazon.
