Waiting for the Summer Rain: A novel of the Sixties

By Chris Atack

1969-1970: the wheels are coming off.
It's the Age of Aquarius, and even at the Birchgrove Academy, a staid New England prep school, there's a hint of revolution in the air.
Jeff Marston, a good-natured senior student with a wry sense of humor, hopes simply to make it through the year with a maximum of enjoyment and a minimum of trouble. But when his brother goes missing in Vietnam, he turns to the occult for answers, with unexpected and unwanted results.
Father Michael Rose, the Academy's earnest new chaplain, works hard to gain the trust of Birchgrove's students and offer them "relevant" spiritual guidance. His task is complicated when he finds himself deeply attracted to the spirited art teacher, Ms. Dawson. In the claustrophic Birchgrove community, a misstep could negate all his efforts, even ruin his career. And yet, doing nothing is not an option.
Peter Job, the competent and long-suffering assistant headmaster, struggles to keep the school functioning smoothly. It's an uphill battle. As the year progresses, the Academy's stability and even its existence are threatened by deepening divisions among the students and the failure of faculty and directors to deal with the changing times.
As tensions mount inside the Academy and in the world beyond its gates, it's clear that a storm is coming.

A haunting-and darkly humorous-literary novel of loss, rebellion, and moral awakening, Waiting for the Summer Rain captures the moment when a generation - and a nation -started to come apart.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0995176957
• ISBN13: 9780995176959
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Drifter Publications
• Length: 341 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"