A sleepy little town discovers its memories have become part of the water cycle in Naomi Salman's debut novella, Nothing but the Rain.

The rain in Aloisville is never-ending, and no one can remember when it started. There’s not much they can remember. With every drop that hits their skin, a bit of memory is washed away. Stay too long in the wet, and you’ll lose everything you used to be.

By Iris

In a waterlogged town where the constantly falling rain makes people lose their memories, a self-described grumpy old lady is making the best of a bad situation. She deals with it as well as she can: by imposing experiments on herself, keeping a record of her days, and abiding by a buddy system, even though she dislikes the buddy she’s assigned to. But when she doesn’t trust the more radical splinter group that her buddy is getting involved with, everything starts to change.

After I finished this book, I pretty much didn’t stop thinking about it for eight straight weeks. It is no secret that I have a deep and abiding love for novellas, and this is another winner. It’s very short even for a novella, weighing in at just under 100 pages, but it packs a punch many full-length novels don’t manage.

As short as it is, there are several twists in this book that made me gasp, and the ending is QUITE the kicker.

Highly recommend!

  • The Safekeep
  • To Be Taught, If Fortunate
  • Educated: A Memoir
  • A Deadly Education
  • The Gay Best Friend
  • Viscount in Love
  • What I’d Rather Not Think About
  • Abroad in Japan
  • These Violent Delights
  • The Courage to Be Disliked