I Dream of Rain – A Poignant Story of Love and Forgiveness [Book Review]

A tale of love, betrayal, and finding the path back to forgiveness, because sometimes the longest journey is the distance between two hearts.

Muhammad Ali Bandial’s debut novel I Dream of Rain is a tale of love, betrayal, and finding the path back to forgiveness. Betrayals are like cancer; they keep eating you up from inside even though on the outside, you may seem healthy and functioning.

It came to me on the second ring of the telephone. I was about to take a bite of reheated Hawaiian pizza when it hit me, and I knew. My father had died.

Thus begins I Dream of Rain by Pakistani author Muhammad Ali Bandial — the story of Bunny, a 26-year-old boy who carries within him the hurt and anguish of a 13-year-old who felt abandoned and betrayed by the person closest to him.

i dream of rain

In a tone that is both poignant and heartfelt, the narrative carries the reader on two parallel timelines simultaneously. We meet both the wide-eyed, cheerful boy who dotes on his father and the sullen, disillusioned, and estranged young man he has become.

An unexpected phone call forces Bunny to peel the scab that had grown over a festering wound and revisit the events leading up to the present.

Without giving too much away (because this book takes you on a journey that needs to be experienced to be believed), I consider Bandial’s book to be about forgiveness and finding closure. It begs the question of whether mistakes made with the best of intentions are forgivable, and sheds light on the effect of carrying hurt and resentment with you like a constant burden on your shoulders.

i dream of rain

There is a wonderful line in the book in which the narrator says that everyone is the sum of the people they have met during their life. Thus, our journey is as much about our personal growth as it is about taking bits and pieces from the people in our lives. Choosing to tinge those experiences in dark and gloomy hues may be up to us but we must also acknowledge at the same time, the toxic nature of that decision. Ultimately, no one has the power to hurt or damage you unless you allow them to.

Also, by giving people a second chance and allowing the air of forgiveness to flow between us and them, and understanding how to filter the dark, damp, and gloomy basement where we hide our resentment, we enable ourselves to break free of the invisible shackles that limit and stunt our development.

At a time when the world is finally emerging from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic, when families and loved ones were forced apart and some of us had to witness the people closest to us going away, the book pinpoints the ethereal nature of life and the importance of relationships. There is no time like the present to mend broken ties and build bridges because nobody has seen what tomorrow will bring.

As we grow old, it is the people that we grew up with who know us the best and to whom we can relate. It is this point that Bandial’s book highlights again and again through nostalgic incidents that I am sure anyone who has grown up in Pakistan can relate to. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to take a trip down memory lane and resonate with the character in a way that most of us have not been unable to when reading books by international authors.

Having been disappointed and put off by the stereotypical or one-dimensional portrayal of our culture in both the written and visual medium, readers will find that I Dream of Rain pulls no punches and does not dumb down or westernize the narration, which is a huge plus.

i dream of rain

I would give I Dream of Rain five stars for its simple yet beautiful prose which begs you to pause after each sentence, close your eyes, and live each incidence through the consciousness of Bunny.

Here’s hoping that people respond favorably to the book and encourage more books such as these in the future.

I Dream of Rain is available at Liberty Books stores in Lahore and Karachi, and also online via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, scribd, and Kobo.