Rain Remembers

by Courtne Comrie. HarperCollins, 24 Oct. 2023
ARC courtesy of NetGalley

Courtne Comrie, a rising novel in verse writer made her debut in 2022 with Rain Rising and this year Courtne is sharing her companion novel, Rain Remembers.  As an undocumented immigrant, the United States and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) became a refuge for Courtne as she aspired to become a poet and writer, graduating with a BA in creative writing from CUNY Lehman College using The DREAM U.S. Scholarship for undocumented students.    Courtne’s experiences as an undocumented immigrant exposed her to psychological and financial challenges that unearthed the mental health trauma she seeks to portray within the pages of her written texts.    As a middle school teacher and a case manager for a domestic violence prevention program, Courtne saw the need for youth to have access to resources that encourage self healing.  Rain Rising and now Rain Remembers embeds a strand of mental health awareness for youth to see themselves as a Phoenix, rising and rising again through self-care.

Selfies. Text, Facetime.  Boundaries. Humanity. Remembering. Me. 
Courtne’s companion novel in verse about Rain, begins freshman year with deep breaths, and many uncertainties, not unlike any other ninth grader.  Different becomes her new anthem; wearing deep burgundy lipstick, taking selfies, waiting on texts or facetimes, missing circle group, just different.   Everything is fine… she tells herself, until one day, she is standing on the other side of a slammed door, realizing, maybe, everything is not fine but still very different.   Rain Remembers provides a peek into the life of a teen coming of age, questioning, experimenting, pushing boundaries, and struggling, yet with the author’s simplistic, emotive and self-help language, Rain’s story evolves.  Readers need to know the text involves some content that may be considered triggering as the main character is involved in an altercation that allows her to be susceptible to being taken advantage.

What works: Courtne, as an author, uses a roses and thorns approach to address heavy topics and provide opportunities and resources for self-healing.  The author describes the main character’s experiences in depth so the reader feels her anguish sticking like thorns. However, the beauty of the experience comes as the character grows to be self-propelled. A great example of this in the text is when Rain joins her friends in the art room- “just the three of us, sitting in our own little Circle Group..”   Additionally, the wrap up of the book brings home the title, fully.

What doesn’t work: One thing I searched for was a section at the end of the text that might explain Circle Group or perhaps how to seek out help from specific support groups, just as an author’s note.   (Circle Group – p. 104; 106; 215)

Pass It OR Grab It? “Grab It”, As a companion novel in verse it is a great read for YA readers seeking to find themselves.  There is a hint at sensitive content such as abuse and actions towards an unwanted embrace leading to plot related consequences.  Comrie’s experiences with mental health struggles as a teen encouraged the author to bring awareness to teen mental health issues, but also, address the stigma of seeking support.  She addresses this by normalizing teens seeking counsel and applying strategies in their daily life as she reveals Rain’s story.