The Hard Rain
The Hard Rain
A suspenseful novel about the radicals of the ‘60’s. Michael is on-the-run from the law. His old college classmate, Luke, who once idolized him, has become a journalist, and now he must retrace his steps.
At twenty, Michael is everything Luke can never hope to be. A brilliant student who has repudiated the values of his millionaire father, Michael’s passionate activism electrifies their campus. Meanwhile, Luke has his own burning ambition, fueled by his insecurity. Flash forward: Luke is an up-and-coming journalist and Michael has gone to work on the assembly line in Detroit. There, he finds love, joins a radical group, and becomes the unwitting participant in a deadly incident. Now it’s up to Luke to confront the life of the person he wished he could have been, and to come to terms with his own limitations.
New York Times Book Review
“A remarkably assured first novel, a tautly written threnody for the 1960’s activists faced with the awesome prospect of growing up…deeply felt and engrossing.”
Kirkus Review
“An intelligent and promising debut.”
Publisher’s Weekly
“Good and true.”
Library Journal
“The characters live…It will be read.”
Los Angeles Times
“Well-written and concise. Smith ponders important problems.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The smoke and sweat of Detroit are palpable…Smith’s images have the haunting quality of still photographs depicting the chill and hard rain of the gray Detroit morning and the equally harsh lives of the American factory workers.”