ANNA’S LIFE CHANGES FOREVER ON ONE HORRIFIC NIGHT WHEN SHE IS ASSAULTED AND LEFT FOR DEAD.
Anna Marquette has everything to live for. Her daughters are in college and, with the support of Paul, her loving husband, she is pursuing her dream of a career in counseling. Then one night, while on a trip to Orlando, the unimaginable happens. She takes a “short cut” to an evening out with Paul and is … Paul and is brutally assaulted.
When Anna suspects the attack has left her pregnant, her faith is put to the test. As Anna and her family confront the heart-wrenching decisions that lie ahead, Anna gradually comes to realize that God has a plan for her and that she must trust Him. But will her family accept the choice she makes? Will her husband’s love for her prevail? And will her marriage survive this ultimate test?
“Because of the Rain” is a powerful story that will keep you on the edge of your chair waiting to find out what happens next.
This novel was originally titled “In the Still of Night.” The text has been expanded and updated from the original edition.
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Will their faith individually and as a couple sustain them? Such a roller coaster ride of emotions and decisions. Loved the outcome, but keep the kleenex handy!
Excellent Story, Well Written, heart wrenching,yet inspirational, and thought provoking,
Anna was away with her husband who had a business meeting in Orlando and she was taking time for some shopping before meeting her husband for dinner. Enjoying her shopping and seeing time was cutting it close to get to the restaurant, as she always was on time, she opted to pass on a taxi, as she seemed close enough that a taxi wasn’t needed. With not being use to the Mall and what seemed a easy walk, Anna soon learned she’d be late in getting to her husband Paul, she took what she thought would be a shortcut….that shortcut ended up being a life changing turn. What happened, well it became a test of Anna & Paul’s love, faith and a test of all time. An inspiring testament of a couple that loves and values life and strong faith that God would see them through.
This is a story that deals with giving birth of a young life, or whether to end it and how this couple journeys through the decision. Grant you, not everyone has a supporting spouse, or loved one, but it also tells of those that made their choice alone and why. It will make you think and this is one that teens to young at heart need to read.
Wonderful author, wonderful stories, always search out her books. Highly recommend.
It starts out so sad but God had a plan.
Deborah is the master at putting people in tough situations and showing you the difference it makes to be a follower of Jesus. She doesn’t sugar-coat but shows you the successes and failures.
I love the way she shows you the emotional cost on a family and marriage.
You are left asking “What would I do?” which is a mark of a successful novel.
I stayed up all night reading this book. One of the best books I’ve ever read
The fear every woman has thought of. Handle great. Good bible verses
Great book
Thought provoking and inspiring.
Real life
Great read!
I couldn’t put it down. Loved it!
A thought provoking read.
I have become a Deborah Rainey fan, because of her interestsing situations with complicated turns of events. This family struggles through the rape of the middle aged mother, each with their own problems of how to react. Yes, it is not easy. Life seldom is easy, but God can bring good out of it if we cling to him and follow his commands to love.
Excellent writer
It was a book that made me really think through my values.
Praise God for such a truly inspirational way of handling a horrible act.
I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the weaving of the storyline. Deborah Rainey is one of my favorite authors!
Not an easy subject to read but this causes us to evaluate our own beliefs and faith. The book caused me to evoked lots of thinking. The crises was well handled and the author provided reasoning and emotional detail.
The author handled a difficult subject with wisdom and sensitivity.
I will register some disquiet with this book in a moment, but first, it is very, very well-written. Raney is a fine writer; the story is compelling and told well and with eloquence. I voraciously read books from a strongly Christian POV, and her spiritual tone throughout is good: not preachy or overly pious. Most books of this genre are just a little twinkly, and this book does have this too, but all of us who are in the community of faith writers are trying to portray the church as an optimistic force, so that’s an understandable foible.
Here are my three gentle complaints.
First, in the aftermath of the rape, this couple quickly and – to me – rigidly spurns the practical offer of a morning-after pill. I realize that without the pill, there’s no story and no book. So perhaps that’s a necessary plot point. But the choice does nudge this whole story toward a somewhat doctrinaire stance on what ought to be a more nuanced and painful issue.
Two: to imply that a woman who anguishes, and then chooses to have an abortion following a rape, needs to seek God’s forgiveness . . . wow, that is really tough theology. I’m a man; I can’t comprehend even a shadow of the angst a woman is enduring with such a wrenching choice. But to imply that she and her husband are sinning if they have an abortion under those circumstances – I’m not sure what to say, but for me that was this story’s absolute low point.
Much later in the story Anna is sequestered with friends three hours away. She and her husband find themselves repeatedly sort-of-lying to their many friends. So in the eyes of God, they have dodged one sinful pit only to fall into another one. When her grandmother dies, of course, Anna can’t attend because they are still hiding and prevaricating about this sad secret. Can they obfuscate and tell everyone (yet again) that she is really ill? Lo and behold, the day of the funeral she wakes up in the throes of agonizing illness. What wonderful news! God has kindly made her deathly sick so she won’t have to lie some more. Really? Is this the sort of cynical gamesmanship our heavenly Father resorts to on behalf of His disciples?
Thirdly, let me carefully make this point. Anna and Paul make all the right decisions, and it works out very well. The baby is precious and adorable, as every innocent baby is. The adoption details fall into place. But keep in mind this endless string of serendipitous built-in advantages. They are a wealthy white couple. Anna has the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom. They shop a lot. The daughters fly here and there at the drop of a hat. They are godly, devout people whose lives are buttressed by Scripture, their faith, and their church. They experience the natural advantage of a strong, committed marriage, each backing up the other. Their best friends open up a rent-free home to her for four months. They have great health-care coverage. When it turns out the baby is mixed-race, what a lucky coincidence that her best friend and college professor is African-American, and that their daughter and son are hoping to adopt another baby.
I guess I’m saying this, really. That’s a lot of nice plus points all lined up. And this couple made a deeply courageous and godly choice. I applaud it and I resonate with it. But to bring this baby to term was the holy and sacred CHOICE they made. It’s a core principle of the pro-life movement that everyone up and down the block, Christian or not, advantaged or not, blessed or not, Republican or not, intact domestic life or not . . . ought to be required to law to carry a rapist’s baby for the whole nine months. And yes, I get and affirm that little Anna was an innocent. She was a beautiful gift. But the singular fact that makes this story noble is that Anna and Paul, two American citizens who enjoy the liberty of having options and could have detoured away from this nightmare, prayerfully choose to have the baby. Take away their choice and there’s no book here.
In closing, there’s fiction and there’s reality. I will say that this couple, imaginary though they are, do a truly admirable thing. Deborah Raney, who is a very real and gifted author, has done so as well. Her book is gracious and winsome fodder for deep thought, and for that I salute her.
I think this book is well written and the characters are realistic and well developed. The book presents a very original topic but is also a realistic situation. I think that this a good book to discuss in a book club. This is a Christian fiction book so issues of violence,victimization and the dignity of life are explored within the context of faith. I enjoyed the emphasis the author gave to friendships and moral support that transcended race and cultural diversity. I liked the characters and was inspired by their faith and perseverance. The ending was well integrated with the story. I will read another book from this author.