Kissing the Rain by Kevin Brooks 

Plot: 
Moo is sick of it all, the teasing, the lies, the pressure and the overwhelming confusion.

It all starts when he happens to witness ‘something’ from the bridge which turns out to be a murder.

Moo’s life is not easy and he needs to get away from the badgering that ‘rains’ on him daily so he rides his bike to the bridge, his bridge where he finds peace and feels free. Ironically this is where Moo becomes trapped, caught in a situation he can’t understand.

Up to now he was just a fat and lonely kid with loving but naïve parents and anything but naïve classmates. That day on the bridge changes his life and he cannot escape anymore. This is when we meet Moo, alone to decide except for his almost-loyal-up-to-now-friend Brady. What will he do? What can he do? Somebody will get hurt unless…. 

Main Characters:  
Moo: He used to be normal Mike Nelson but is now Moo, a lonely and very fat teenager with a big problem.

Brady: Moo’s best friend, also lonely and unattractive. He looks like “some kinda 15-year old embryo or something….”

The boys understand each other tacitly and they don’t make any demands on their friendship. Whatever unpleasantness comes their way they either avoid or endure.  

Touchy Areas: 

Teenagers are often faced with huge difficulties and looks are paramount at an age when fitting in is all that matters. The author deals with Moo’s size and Brady’s ugliness candidly but with sensitivity. He does not offer magic solutions, this is the way they are and it’s just part of life; not fair, not unfair.

High school students will enjoy reading this honest and entertaining book which does not advise nor claim to have any answers. 

Related Titles: 

Books: 
“Pure Sunshine” by Brian James.  Although weaker in content, this book might interest the reluctant adolescent reader.

”The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, a collection of vignettes about familiar situations in the Barrio.

“Born Confused” by Tanuja Desai Hidier, about growing up different, but becoming strong in the process. 

Videos: 
“The Outsiders” About teenage boys growing up outside of society and looking to belong. 

Topics for Discussion: 
The growing up pains that most adolescents can identify with related to looks, acceptance and fitting in are treated with a refreshing unconventional style. Moo, the main character allows us into his private thoughts and feelings. We identify with this fat boy, we understand him and we know what it’s like to be him. He takes us slowly, carefully and rationally through his inner dialogue and we find ourselves almost symbiotically linked to Moo. 

Evaluation: 
The sometimes-crude adolescent language is balanced with Moo’s very rational and never immature thought process. Brooks’ use of language is very successful and his choice of characters flawless. Both Moo and his friend Brady are present in every school campus, undetected, unseen and yet more there than the popular crowd. Although Brooks probably did not start to write a book about the hidden qualities in persons often neglected or abused by society, he achieved a nobler objective by treating his characters naturally and with respect.

The dialogues between Moo and Brady are full of eloquent pauses and words left unsaid. The understanding between the two friends reminds us of a time when a few words were enough to communicate feelings and ideas; the time of the sandbox or in the playground when relationships were simple, uncomplicated. Both Moo and Brady are outsiders and this has left them untouched by the constant effort to fit in that other kids go through. They can’t fit in, they couldn’t if they tried, and so they have to accept themselves and each other as they are. These two young boys who are powerfully unattractive in a society that admires a beautiful body tell a sensitive and entertaining story of suspense, cruelty and friendship almost too real to be fiction. Overall Rating:  8.5

Reviewed by:  Grace de Haro