G Finan

The Rain Drinkers G Finan

Mainly set on Long Island, NY in the little town of Bay Shore at the beginning of the twentieth century, "The Rain Drinkers" is the story of a young man's passage to adulthood. When his mother passes away unexpectantly, Jamie Gibson is sent to stay with a relative, an uncle he was completely unaware of, and the man's younger wife. The older man is a market gunner. This is a fading way of life on Long Island at the time, where many people spent their days shooting waterfowl out on the Great South Bay to be served on the tables of fine restaurants in New York and other cities. Jamie soon finds his uncle to be of a very dark nature. The situation is relieved somewhat by his newfound aunt and his uncle's helper and handyman. Complex relationships develop as Jamie struggles to find his way in an increasingly dysfunctional situationThe younger man is forced to learn hard lessons of life, friendship, love, and loss. The story touches on many different topics such as domestic abuse, racism, immigration, New York in the early 1900s, and the American experience at the beginning of a new age.