After the Rain

White's revamp of the out-of-print 2003 version of After the Rain is a touching sequel to Falling Home that embraces everything special about small-town Southern life. Freelance photographer Suzanne Paris gets a gracious lesson in warmth, friendship, enduring love, and Southern hospitality from the residents of Walton, Georgia, when she makes a spontaneous exit from an Atlanta-bound bus. A mysterious, evasive stranger in the quintessential small Southern town, where secrets are not long kept, Suzanne immediately meets the widowed town mayor Joe Warner, his six children, and their colorful Aunt Lucinda. Suzanne carries the baggage of a difficult childhood; she was in and out of foster homes and on her own since age 14. Tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside, Suzanne begins to open her heart to Joe, his family, and the townspeople. Afraid she is being pursued by her dangerous, low-life ex-fiance, Suzanne tries in vain to keep her distance, physically and emotionally, from Joe. In her quest for solitude and to protect Joe and his family, Suzanne makes some regrettable decisions, prompting her to go back on the run. Their sentimental final meeting reveals the strength of the characters, their profound love for each other and a surprising revelation about Suzanne's identity. (Jan.)