Summary

Chapter 1. The novel opens as the narrator turns nine years old. Instead of sunshine, rain falls on his birthday, which his mother regards as “showers of blessings.” There is an overarching fear of flooding, which has been known to come over the village and wipe away entire houses. In this chapter, the narrator relates that he is an only child and he lives with his mother. His father is not mentioned.

The same day, the narrator’s mother finds out that one of the other village families, the Fosters, had their home swept away by the flood. The father had clung to the house as if floated down the river. Additionally, the narrator’s mother looks for an elderly couple that everyone refers to as “Pa and Ma.” At the close of the chapter, the mother warns the son not to drink the rainwater as...