RULES OF RAIN
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Leah Scheier
Young Adult, Sourcebooks Fire, 2017
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Rain has taken care of Ethan all of her life. Before she even knew what autism meant, she's been her twin brother's connection to the hostile world around him. She's always prepared--when her father abandons them, when her mother gets sick, when Ethan is tortured by bullies from school-- Rain is the reliable, stable one holding them all together. She's both cautious carer and mad chef, preparing customized meals for her family and posting crazy recipes on her cooking blog.
Each day with Ethan is unvarying and predictable, and she's sure that nothing will ever change-- until one night when her world is turned upside down by a mistake she can't take back. As her new romance with her long-time crush and her carefully constructed life begins to unravel she discovers that the fragile brother whom she's always protected has grown into a young man who no longer needs her. And now, for the first time, she finds that she needs him.
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​Rights Sold:
USA: Sourcebooks Fire
Reviews:
“Compellingly written…While Scheier offers no easy answers, she does give the best gift—hope. An affecting, well-crafted story that will stay with readers long after the final page.” – Booklist (STARRED review)
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"A story of the human heart and the tortured mind. Jonah's plight will touch your soul." – Tabitha Suzuma, author of FORBIDDEN
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“[A]n intense portrait of the unpredictability of schizophrenia and the toll it takes on those close to those who have it.” – Publisher's Weekly
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“The first-person narration punctuated by Rain’s cooking-blog posts and Ethan’s journal entries pulses with emotion as Rain tries to adjust to the changes in her life, and it crescendos to a frenetic cadence when her life itself is in danger….Refreshingly thoughtful character development.” – Kirkus
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“Scheier’s newest novel is compelling. She tackles autism, divorce and other complex issues with a deft hand and sympathetic characters. Rain’s struggle to let go of responsibility and her misguided good intentions make her extremely relatable. Ethan’s character could have easily fallen flat, but Scheier goes above and beyond to show him as layered and multi-dimensional. This might not be a typical action-adventure novel, but somehow Scheier has taken a simple coming-of-age story and transformed it into a page-turning read you won’t want to put down.” - RT Book Reviews 4 Stars
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“Rain’s first-person narrative is cheerful and thoughtful, and the relationships among the characters are realistic and nicely drawn; no one is too perfect to be believed. The real truth is that sometimes even the best rules must be broken.” – Booklist
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"[A] raw and emotional story ... The writing is well researched, convincing, and poetic. It sheds light and creates awareness. Important subjects are beautifully handled." – Ava Ehde, VOYA Magazine
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