Shouting at the Rain

Content Warning: This section references drug and alcohol addiction.

Delsie is the novel’s protagonist and a middle-school-aged girl who lives in Cape Cod with her grandmother, Grammy. She is haunted by her abandonment by her mother, Mellie, and a stray remark brings her feelings of grief and insecurity to a head as the novel opens. The narrative that follows charts Delsie’s intense inner conflict as she struggles to understand why her mother left and suffers another abandonment, this one by her friend Brandy.

Delsie develops throughout the story, learning important life lessons with help from Grammy, her neighbors, and Ronan. She learns that her mother loved her but struggled with addiction, and letting go of the idea that there is something fundamentally “broken” in her helps Delsie learn gratitude for the love of Grammy and her neighbors and friends. Discovering The Importance of Friendship and Family also entails learning to recognize what friendship and family are not: Delsie comes to realize that Brandy is an unfaithful friend and that Tressa is a negative influence in her life. She instead resolves to share her feelings and companionship with people who care about her, like her new friend Ronan.