Plum Rains by Andromeda Romano-LaxMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Plum Rains is a wonderful story that touches on dozens of topics, from family to trauma to technology to culture. It just takes a while to get there.
The novel centers on two women, elderly Sayoko and her live-in nurse Angelica. The first third or so of the book is largely concerned with describing how these two women live and interact, and it's not a particularly happy story. Eventually, things start to happen...an android arrives to assist Sayoko, Angelica's various troubles catch up with her, Sayoko reveals past trauma that she's kept hidden for decades. The stories of Angelica and Sayoko end up affecting much more of the world than just themselves.
The setting in Plum Rains is near-future Japan, when some of today's trends...low birth rate, increased population age, significant foreign worker presence...have grown significantly. The wider world plays a role, too, most notably in development of robotics and artificial intelligence. And history is just as important as the future in this story, as events from Sayoko's past in particular come to light.
I felt that the early part of Plum Rains dragged a bit, but it gets much more interesting further in. Don't give up on it early. Romano-Lax tells a great story that's well worth the time to read.
