Rain Holiday

by Shreya Ramachandran

English 216 pages 1 edition

Rekha and her best friend Latisha are inseparable, but now, things are about to change… Rekha and Latisha have been friends since Grade 1. It has been many years of swimming lessons, secret jokes, and creating the monster Mighty: a gentle giant with boots on his feet and the whole city in his stride. But on a rainy Tuesday, when the monsoon shuts down school and all Rekha wants to do is spend time with Latisha, her best friend suddenly retreats to her room and refuses to see anyone. At first Rekha thinks it’s a passing sulk, but when Latisha stops responding to her call and texts, worry sets in. This isn’t like Latisha at all! Determined to find out, Rekha launches an investigation. She quizzes classmates, parents and building security guards to follow a trail of clues that winds through muddy streets, flooded parks and secret animal rescues. Meanwhile, her own home life is unsettled by the sudden reappearance of her father and his strange request for Amma’s most treasured possession. Over the course of sixteen rain-soaked days, Rekha navigates small mysteries, big feelings, and unexpected allies. With the help of Mighty, she discovers that helping a friend sometimes means listening, sometimes means playing, and when the world seems too dark, it could simply mean being there for each other without saying a word. Set against the backdrop of a rain-slick Mumbai, this is a tender, funny, and hopeful novel about sadness, anxiety, joy, and the magic of friendship when the clouds roll in. ‘A deceptively sweet and light story even as it plumbs the depths of childhood darkness with a deftness rarely seen.’—Paro Anand