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Reviewed by Scarlett Jensen for Readers' Favorite
Hold Back the Rain is Michelle Vignault's memoir of how she got through the hardest years of her life from 2014 to 2017. Her husband Tracy, then 45, started showing signs of detachment. Her reality then became what she had to face during her husband’s illness, death in 2017, and immediately thereafter. With Tracy's hospitalization, the hospital corners “hid a nothingness underneath.” The last fifty days were spent waiting as Tracy lay dying, his liver failing, his body giving out. Instead of tears of confusion and frustration, Michelle took control to find the silver lining, no matter how dark it got. Life goes on. “Just keep swimming.” If you stop moving, you will die. A bizarre feeling of grief, shame, and guilt devoured her.
It is a story that makes me realize how much human strength and courage one needs to overcome a broken heart. I admire Michelle Vignault for showing us the significance of courage, resilience, and the spirit to overcome. If your life crumbles, it catapults you into a dark place. As a reader, you can relate to, understand, and feel the suffering. I sympathize and feel the battle she fought to overcome her losses. This story is a lesson on survival and how to continue to form positive, lasting memories and hope for a united family. In Hold Back the Rain, you will learn about her background, the historical and cultural context in which her memoir was written, and which significant events influence human nature and society. The writing style forms a simple day-to-day dialogue, mainly through letters to her friend, Suzanne. The timeline of events is well documented, which enhances the unfolding story and how the conflicts are resolved.
