After The Rain By Lucy Dillon

‘After The Rain’ is the latest book by Lucy Dillon.

Tara Hunter is a therapist on a mission to restore Longhampton’s community spirit after catastrophic flooding. But with her boyfriend AWOL, her family fragmented, and only a cat for company, Tara’s own life is crumbling. On top of everything, Tara’s father – last seen as he walked out on her when she was ten years old – is suddenly back, with a surprising offer that could change everything. Dr David Dalloway is Longhampton Wellness Centre’s new star counsellor. He’s charming, caring and has a knack for reading people’s minds – which is the last thing Tara needs right now. Will having David and her dad around make for a bigger storm on the horizon? Or is this Tara’s chance for a fresh start?

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Lucy Dillion and ‘After The Rain’ was a lovely book to sink into and return to her writing.

The story is seen through the narrative of Tara, her mother has recently passed away and has left Tara the house and in going through old things, stirs up old emotions. Tara’s relationship with her father is a turbulent one, after her father left her and her twin brother Toby and when he reappears in her life wanting to make amends as well as help the town get back on its feet after recent flooding. Tara is a counsellor helping others put their lives back together but she feels like her own life is falling apart with the reappearance of her father Keith, a charismatic man that charms everyone and as much as Tara wants to repair her relationship like she advises her clients, she finds it to move on. There’s constant reminders of Keith’s absence from Tara’s life especially at pivotal moments in her life and this does makes for sad reading particularly when Keith’s new life meets his old life.

I loved Tara, she’s warm, kind with a huge heart. Her interactions with her clients make for interesting reading, as the advice she gives them is something that she needs to apply to her own life. When David, a new counsellor joins the team, he’s a fascinating addition to the story with quite an unusual way of dealing with problems and his new friendship with Tara makes for lovely reading as he helps her address her own problems.

This story is a story of community, relationship and repair, as a community begins to repair itself after the terrible floods, houses are ruined and people themselves begin to heal. ‘After The Rain’ is a beautifully written story, packed with poignancy and reflection as people look back on their lives and decide whether they want to move on or live in the past.

You can buy ‘After The Rain’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.