May 09 2008
Embrace The Rain by Gay Novelist Michael Holloway Perronne
(Los Angeles, CA, 05/08/08)— Novelist Michael Holloway Perronne has courted controversy in the past by speaking out against a book banning Alabama state senator and in his writing by confronting Hollywood’s still prevalent closet and also ageism in the gay community. However, Perronne considers his new novel, Embrace the Rain, which explores post-Hurricane Katrina life in a small coastal Mississippi town to be his most personal work yet.
“Almost three years later the area is very much in recovery,” Perronne, a coastal Mississippi native, says. “As much as I love, and will always love the city of New Orleans, the complete and utter devastation of many coastal Mississippi towns was virtually ignored by the national media. It’s one of the reasons that I felt compelled to tell the story of the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the forgotten survivors of the storm.”
Perronne himself felt compelled to leave his home in Los Angeles to move back to the area last summer to spend some time with his family. “Literally days went by when I didn’t know how members of my family were doing and if they had even survived. All phones were out and none of my family had access to the internet. All I could do was watch the news coverage, which mostly focused on New Orleans, to get some sort of sense of what the situation was down there.” It’s a story that’s somewhat paralleled by the character, Sean, in Embrace the Rain. “Sean is a gay Mississippi native now living a very open life in San Francisco. After the storm, he’s drawn back to the area and is forced to confront issues he’s run away from for many years. Ultimately, it’s a story about how great tragedy can sometimes lead to bright new beginnings.”
In Embrace the Rain, a forbidden teen romance and the violent act of a desperate boy forever binds a community. One year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the small coastal town of Long Beach, Mississippi, two families with deep roots in its Southern traditions are desperately trying to rebuild the way of life they have always known. But some, including the Mexican-American Santos family, are bringing a large dose of previously all-but-unknown cultures to this insular community. While one young man, a gay prodigal son now living in San Francisco, finds himself drawn back to the very area and culture he fought so hard to leave behind. In this emotionally charged novel, three families struggle to find the beauty that can arise from the worst of nightmares.
Michael Holloway Perronne’s debut novel, A Time Before Me, won the Bronze Award in Gay & Lesbian Literature in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award in 2006. His other works include Starstuck: A Hollywood Saga and Falling Into Me. Originally from the South Mississippi and New Orleans area, Michael now calls Los Angeles home and is hard at work on his next novel, A Big Easy Christmas.
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“Embrace the Rain” begins a year after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. The story takes place in a small coastal town in Mississippi. High School cheerleader Alison and football player Matt are dating. Matt comes from a wealthy family whose business is now heavily involved in the rebuilding of the area. Matt has a brother, Sean, who is homosexual and living in San Francisco. Matt’s father has difficulties with accepting his son’s homosexuality. He puts a lot of pressure on Matt to be his idea of the perfect son. Nobody realizes that Matt is in an emotional crisis that began when he had to be rescued from his bedroom during Katrina. He is keeping his problems a secret, so he has nobody to turn to. As the situation worsens, he feels that there is no way out.
When the father of the Santos family uproots them from California and moves them to the area for work, his wife and children have to deal with the cultural change. They were used to living among the people of their Mexican-American culture. Now they are living in a predominately white and black area. The whites and blacks have had their own issues to overcome with each other. The Santos’ do not feel well received or accepted.
Mr. Santos has gone to work for Matt’s father. When his handsome son Javier meets Alison, Matt’s girlfriend, they are both attracted to each other. Matt and Javier clash. When Alison breaks up with Matt, he hits bottom. Even though they haven’t done anything wrong, Javier and Alison take the brunt of the blame on what happens next.
Sean finds himself getting involved in the family crisis. Initially, he is rejected and disrespected by his father. He leaves to go back to his life and new love interest in San Francisco. Because he is a person of integrity, when the crisis reaches its highest peak, he steps in again. His mother accepts his help. This time he is able to introduce her to his life and she can see what an incredible son she has.
“Embrace the Rain,” teaches that crisis can be overcome if we learn from the lessons that are being taught while we are going through the experience. Several people in this story had to learn how to handle and overcome the feelings of guilt that they felt for not stepping in and doing something to help a teenager when he needed it. Parents and friends learned lessons about needing to try to do what is best for their loved ones, and not waiting until it is too late. There was also a strong theme about the importance of accepting other people from different cultures.
“Embrace the Rain” is an excellent novel that will impart some valuable lessons to the reader. It will be enjoyed by both young adults and adults.