My review of Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes

About the book:

Behind every broken vow lies a broken heart.

When Eric and Kyra Yoshida first met, they thought their love would last forever. But like many marriages, theirs has gradually crumbled, one thoughtless comment and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal pushes them beyond reconciliation. Though Eric longs to reunite with Kyra, the only woman he has truly loved, he has no idea how to repair the damage that’s been done.

Then a car accident erases part of Kyra’s memory—including her separation from Eric—and a glimmer of hope rises from the wreckage. Is this a precious opportunity for the fresh start Eric has longed for? Does he even deserve the chance to find forgiveness and win back Kyra’s heart . . . or will the truth blow up in his face, shattering their last hope for happiness? A richly engaging story of betrayal and redemption, Dry as Rain illuminates with striking emotional intensity the surprising truth of what it means to forgive.

My review:

Dry as Rain is not only a great title, but an incredible story of redemption and discovering what is truly important in life. Money won't keep you warm at night or hold your hand when you are old. Just like in real life, the author doesn't make it easy on the characters when their lives unravel. I've read a number of great books this year on the subject of infidelity and found this one to be better than most for a number of reasons. First, I loved how the author wrote the entire story from the male point of view even though the author is a woman. I thought she did a great job with first person point of view. Eric's internal dialog rang true to me. For the duration of the novel, I felt like I was Eric.

I really empathized with Eric on a number of issues. He'd dug himself a pretty big hole with a few dumb decisions that cost him dearly, and he couldn't take the consequences back for a do-over. Who wouldn't want their wife to forget the bad stuff from their past when an opportunity to have their heart's desire--intimacy with the person who hate been hateful toward them--presented itself? The guilt he experienced was plenty of punishment, and typically the anguish a person can inflict on himself from guilt is often worse than what the spouse can dish out anyway.

While it's not an excuse, as is true in most affairs, one person strays because the other has grown cold toward them. It usually starts out with something as innocent as an e-mail. Most of the people I know who have had infidelity in their marriage said it started the same way. It's a sorry substitute to feel valued and attractive by someone other than your life-mate, which Eric soon discovered after he got a taste of what he thought he wanted. He learned the hard way that he'd sacrificed his family to earn more money, which caused his wife to resent him and grow distant. So many men do that when what their family really wants is not a bigger house, but a dad and husband who spends time with them.

I have never understood how women can become such witches when they have been cheated on, but I found the portrayal in this novel totally believable because I've known many women who acted just like Kyra did. Their anger and hurt just makes them look ugly and bitter, rather than attractive and someone desirable to the person who cheated. So in my opinion, Eric was a saint to be patient with her. I know he's the one who did wrong, but how many times does someone need to be yelled at and reminded of what they did wrong over and over again? He was truly sorry for what he did. He realized his mistake and had no desire to repeat it. Bitterness just hurts the person who is bitter about things, and Kyra was a great example of that. Sure she had the right to be angry, but she hurt herself more than she hurt Eric.

At any rate, I loved how the story played out and how Eric learned to be honest with himself and others over time. I loved how his priorities changed and how he decided to never give up regardless of what he faced every day. Most of all, I loved how God took an ugly situation and turned it around so it was used for the good. Great story with a convincing spiritual arc too. This is a powerful novel that is definitely making my top fiction list for 2011.

Dry as Rain was published by Tyndale and released in August 2011.