Review: The Boy Who Made It Rain by Brain Conaghan

Cutest cover :P

When a school tragedy happens, you may lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents' or teachers' fault, do you? But then, is it? We have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who's right?

At only sixteen Clem's world is turned upside down. His Willy-Loman-like father, a travelling salesman and a loser, is transferred from Eastbourne to Glasgow and along with him go Clem and his meek accommodating mother. But Glasgow is rough and Clem's posh English accent is not well-accepted in the sink school he attends. And he's a brilliant scholar. He soon becomes the target for McEvoy's group of thugs for whom slashing faces is the most important ambition in their depraved lives. When a school tragedy happens, you probably lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents' or the teachers' fault, do you? But then, is it? We all have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who's right?

My Rating:

Facts:

Name of book: The Boy Who Made It Rain

Author: Brian Conaghan

Publisher: Sparkling Books

Publication Date: September, 01, 2011

Source: Kindly provided by publisher...

Contact: Website

My Review: Goodreads

My Thoughts:

      The first thing that got my attention was the blurb of this book, I quite liked it, so decided to read it. I haven't heard of the author before, so it was a new read, and it was a very quick read too.

     Clem, a high school student transferred from England to Scotland, tries hard to cope with his surroundings. With his straight A's, his accent, and his looks, coping isn't as hard as he thought it would be, he gets the teachers' approval, the girls' attention, and the boys' jealousy (mostly) . But he didn't expect to end up the center target of a huge circle of bullies known as the NEDs.

     About half of the book is narrated by Rosie (Clem's new girlfriend), Rosie's friends, her parents, and Clem's teachers, they describe what happened during the first few weeks when Clem transferred. But their description is very mysterious, it's like the author didn't want to give anything away until the last few pages.

    The other half is narrated by Clem himself, as he describes his first few weeks, and the way he coped with the transfer, but honestly, I couldn't understand anything, I didn't know what was the problem they were all talking about, until I reached the last pages, then it all become clear, but I'm trying not to spoil anything!

     I respect the hard work of the author, the book mainly talks about bullying and its consequences. This is a very touchy subject to many teenagers these days, although I haven't personally experienced it myself. 

     The funny  part is  the way a few of the characters talk, since the setting is in Scotland and author is Scottish, it's normal, but I found the way they talked very cute and pretty hard to understand, I never knew there was such a difference between the Scottish accent and English accent!

     Brian Conaghan has written a great tale, circling around families, and friends, it is a great read for those who have experienced bullying, or those who know someone who experienced it. The novel is a bit slow at the beginning, but as you read, the pace gets quicker. Altogether, it might be just what you were willing to read!