Dark Clouds Bring Waters by I.R. Ridley - #bookreview #blogtour

 

Dear Billie,

I'm sorry it's come to this after ten years. I once loved you deeply but now that love has been overshadowed by what's happened and all that we've become, sad to say. I just couldn't go on like that nor live under the same roof as you any longer. Drama, sound and fury have become too tiresome and overwhelming for this ageing stick-in-the-mud, as you described him...

***

Comedy writer Luke Jessop's life is in stasis. He hasn't written a word since his wife, Billie, died almost three years ago and on finding a pile of old letters from her ex, Adam, he has begun to wonder how well he really knew her. Embarking on a pilgrimage to Italy, Luke determines to piece together the full story about his wild and sometimes secretive love. But with Adam refusing to answer his questions and a flame-haired hotel guest threatening his fragile calm, can Luke finally face the truths of the past and learn to live again?

***

Sometimes it is the cover that initially attracts me to a book. Other times, it might be the blurb or reviews that I have read. What initially intrigued me with this book was it's title. I guessed it was a quote from somewhere, but I could not identify it. 

However, one of the characters explains in the book,

"Dark clouds bring waters,"... It's a line from The Pilgrim's Progress. You know, by John Bunyan? It's saying how soothing the rain can be after oppressive heat."

And that sums up the experience of the main character perfectly. Luke's wife, Billie, passed away three years ago.  Upon discovering some letters which she had kept from her first husband, Luke becomes consumed by the need to understand her life before he met her.

This is a short book at 146 pages, and its principal theme is grief and bereavement. Admittedly, not the jolliest of topics but it is so eloquently written that it was a pleasure to read. It reads as contemporary literary fiction and I was drawn into this by the beautiful descriptions of Italy.

The author lost his own wife in 2019 and he clearly draws on the rawness of his own experience, and has thus created a moving and heartfelt novel. My heart went out to Luke; his need to understand and have questions answered was visceral and made for an emotive read.

It also made for positive reading. We accompany Luke on his journey to find out more about his wife but we also observe his personal growth throughout the novel. 

Ultimately, it is a story of love, loss and personal growth and I highly recommend this excellent novel.

ISBN: 978 1739639624

Publisher:  V Books

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 146 (paperback)

About the Author:

IAN RIDLEY is a writer and journalist who spent 35 years on national

newspapers, including 18 on The Guardian and The Observer. DARK CLOUDS

BRING WATERS is his third novel, and a move into literary fiction after his two

crime thrillers, OUTER CIRCLE and DON’T TALK, in the ‘Jan Mason

investigative journalist’ series.

Ian has also written 14 non-fiction books, including two shortlisted for the

William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. Addicted, written with the former

Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams, was a Sunday Times No. 1

bestseller while The Breath of Sadness: On love, grief and cricket is a poignant

account of coping with the death of his wife Vikki Orvice, a trailblazing sports

journalist, in February of 2019 at the age of 56.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)