THE RAIN DANCERS by Greg Gifune_Review

Review of The Rain Dancers by Greg Gifune

5 stars

This is my first introduction to author Greg Gifune, and I see why he receives such high praise. “The Rain Dancers” is a novella, but it packs a lot of punch and a lot of story line. Betty and Will return to her childhood home a year after the passing of her father, to prepare the residence for sale, as they live in New York City and don’t wish to return to the community nor to the small-mindedness there. In the evening, in the midst of a tremendous storm, a man arrives at the isolated house who claims to be Bob Laurent, a long-term friend of Betty’s late dad.

Will, who did not grow up in the area, of course doesn’t know “Bob,” and Betty claims she doesn’t, though she behaves in Bob’s presence as if she did. Then when Betty is out of the room, Bob changes his persona and becomes both crude and evil. Will insists he leave, but circumstances seem to conspire against Will, and almost immediately he notices changes in Betty’s personality. Unexpectedly for the reader, events begin to unravel and to expose the tragedies of Betty’s younger years as an adolescent in this home, leading to a very unexpected conclusion. I read this story late at night and probably should not have.