The Next Rainy Day

By Philip David Alexander

Long-listed for the 2006 Re-Lit Award for Best Novel

Grant McRae has a loving wife, a healthy son, and a new career with the local police department. Bert Commerford has a pretty good life too, as the proud owner of Commerford & Sons Auto Service. But Bert's sons are polar opposites: Travis is a budding junior hockey star, and Russell is a thug loaded with resentment for Bert. When tragedy befalls the Commerfords, Bert finds himself too haunted by his murky past to stop his life from buckling. Russell leaves home and almost immediately finds disaster as his path intersects with Constable McRae's.

Told from alternating perspectives, The Next Rainy Day is a fast-moving exploration of loss and of finding hope in the wake of personal disaster.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550025937
• ISBN13: 9781550025934
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A GRITTY, POWERFUL TALE ABOUT CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES

This book touched me personally as I too, lost a young son to tragic circumstances. It evoked raw emotions and reminders of the long journey from blame and guilt to acceptance and forgiveness. The pivotal character is multi-dimensional and complex - eliciting at times, compassion for his poor judgement and resulting consequences. It illustrates that people are not easily categorized as good or evil - but more often combinations of both. A definite page-turner and thought-provoking read.

Fabulous First

This is one of the most interesting novels I have read in a long time. It doesn't fit into a set mold which is what makes it such an enjoyable read. It was hard to put the book down because you wanted to see how the characters were connected and how the story ended. By the end of the story you feel like you have know the characters for a long time and can relate to how they came to be where they are now. It was also very thought provoking, making you wonder what you would do if you found yourself in the same position as one of the main characters. I can't wait until Mr Alexander's next novel.

Heavy Duty

I picked up this book because Craig Holden, one the finest crime and suspense writers around, gave it a thumbs up on the back cover. For the first few pages I thought that I was in all-too- predictable territory and even considered putting it down and moving on. But by page 50 or so I was sitting up straight and this guy had my attention. This is a story that reads and burns along pretty simply on the surface. It's the stuff going on beneath and all that isn't written that makes this novel a real blast. The story -- without blolwing the lid off the thing -- is about one hard luck family and their likeable but drunken, idiotic father and the dirty fingerprints he leaves on his two sons. It's also about a typical middle class husband (who is a rookie cop) and wife who are fighting to overcome the grief and anger over losing their young son in an accident. These two stories are closely connected, intertwined and make for a heart wrenching, heavy duty story spooned out in some vivid and economical writing. Philip David Alexander reminds me of Pete Dexter, Richard Price or Russell Banks. Don't get me wrong, this is a first novel and there are some typical first novel hiccups here and there, the dialogue gets away from him occasionally and he seems to reel it back in, and there are a couple of throw-away characters that could've been cut, but overall this guy is the real deal. He digs right into the characters and, love them or hate them, he leaves you feeling that their pain and sharing in their fight to right some wrongs. There's also some dark but funny TV talk show stuff going on that I thought was completely cool. He ends the story by showing some light at the end of the tunnel, which wasn't necessary but was a nice way to wrap it all up. A great book. Tightly wound, compelling and the guy really spins a geat tale out of something very simple.

Powerful

The Next Rainy Day is a gripping and powerful read. The author tells two interconnecting stories without ever suggesting what the reader should think -- who's side to take or who is wrong or right. The book flows smoothly and the author uses some nice touches in the form of internal monologue to fill the back story. If you enjoy a gritty character study when you read fiction, and if you prefer realistic and thoughtful independent films over Hollywood shoot 'em ups, this first novel will not disappoint. I look forward to Philip Davis Alexander's next book.