Book Review: Inside Rain by Monique D. Mensah

Inside Rain by Monique D. Mensah



Amazon Rating: 4


Review by Tavares S. Carney


Voices and Visions

Author, Monique D. Mensah, delivers a gripping psychological thriller with her second novel, Inside Rain. After being witness to her mother’s cold-blooded murder, the emotional trauma suffered causes Rain to question voices of reason, all the while grappling to understand what actually happened the night her life changes forever.

Danny, Carmen, Gigi, Kyle and Jay Jay are interesting characters. I found Gigi and Kyle nurturing and genuinely concerned for Rain’s well-being, while “siblings” Danny and Carmen are the voices of reason Rain relies upon to help her deal with the loss of her mother. Jay Jay was a user and vindictive. I didn’t like him at all.

While reading this novel, I thought about the effects of traumatic experiences on young children and the importance of counseling early on. Counseling will, ideally, help children to manage emotions or deal with feelings more appropriately. Prevalent themes include sibling rivalry, multiple personality disorder, abuse, suicide, homosexuality/lesbianism and grief counseling.

I like the author’s writing style. Some of the scenes are so descriptive I could feel the raw emotions coming off the pages. The book read like a mystery for me. I wanted to know who killed Rain’s mother. Admittedly, I did have an inclination that Rain may have suffered from some type of psychological dysfunction, but I really had no idea just how serious. I was unable to figure things out for certain until the very end. I recommend this book to readers who love a good, fast-paced mystery.
Visit the author's website here: Monique D. Mensah