After the Rain

January 28, 2013
White's revamp of the out-of-print 2003 version of After the Rain is a touching sequel to Falling Home that embraces everything special about small-town Southern life. Freelance photographer Suzanne Paris gets a gracious lesson in warmth, friendship, enduring love, and Southern hospitality from the residents of Walton, Georgia, when she makes a spontaneous exit from an Atlanta-bound bus. A mysterious, evasive stranger in the quintessential small Southern town, where secrets are not long kept, Suzanne immediately meets the widowed town mayor Joe Warner, his six children, and their colorful Aunt Lucinda. Suzanne carries the baggage of a difficult childhood; she was in and out of foster homes and on her own since age 14. Tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside, Suzanne begins to open her heart to Joe, his family, and the townspeople. Afraid she is being pursued by her dangerous, low-life ex-fiance, Suzanne tries in vain to keep her distance, physically and emotionally, from Joe. In her quest for solitude and to protect Joe and his family, Suzanne makes some regrettable decisions, prompting her to go back on the run. Their sentimental final meeting reveals the strength of the characters, their profound love for each other and a surprising revelation about Suzanne's identity.

December 1, 2012
By the light of a crescent moon, Suzanne Paris spies through her bus window a opossum. Her eyes riveted, she wonders if the creature, like her, will simply wait for the next catastrophe. Or could she, for once, stop hiding. Abruptly, Suzanne gets off the Atlanta-bound bus to find herself in Walton, Ga. There's no better place to hide than this rural town. No one, not even her frightening ex-fiance, will find her here. Yet, everyone she meets wants to know where she's from and where she got the unusual charm around her neck. Walton turns out to be populated with warm characters who have no intention of letting her slip under the radar. There's Miss Lena, who seems to recognize Suzanne, even though Suzanne's rough childhood, bouncing between foster homes and an alcoholic mother, never brought her to Walton. There's Lucinda, who seems to recognize Suzanne's wariness and hires her to help with her lingerie store. Most importantly, there's Joe, Lucinda's widowed nephew-in-law. Father of six, high school teacher, football coach, incumbent mayor--Joe seems impossibly good. A woman with secrets, Suzanne seems like a walking bad decision. Luckily, Joe's eldest daughter, Maddie, begins to connect the two destined lovers. Like Suzanne, Maddie lost her mother at 14 and has a talent for photography. Soon, Suzanne is tutoring Maddie, baby-sitting Joe's younger kids and becoming inextricably woven into the fabric of his life. Enter the villain: Stinky Harden, Joe's competition in the mayoral race and Suzanne's nemesis as he determines to discover her secret and use it to discredit Joe. Soon, Suzanne's past threatens her future, and only love--and some rather wicked trickery--can save the day. White (Sea Change, 2012, etc.) re-polishes her 2003 publication to good effect. This charming romance brims with appealing characters and captivating phrasing.

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