Nights of rain and stars (by Maeve Binchy)

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It’s almost two decades since I read ‘Nights of rain and stars’ by the late Maeve Binchy. So it’s not surprising that I had completely forgotten the plot and characters. I hadn’t even remembered that this book is set in a small Greek island rather than the author’s more usual setting of Ireland. 

Whereas the last few Binchy novels I read featured some of the same characters, this one is - as far I know, anyway - an entirely new set of people. And the story opens with a terrible tragedy. 

Andreas is the owner of a taverna up on a hill overlooking the bay in a village called Aghia Anna. He thinks he sees flames down in the bay, and assumes he must be mistaken until his customers also notice something going on. A local man, some teenagers and a party of tourists are on an excursion on a boat when it catches fire. The folk at the taverna can’t do anything - it’s quite a walk down the hill - and they can see ambulances and police, so they stay where they are. 

There are five foreigners in Andreas’s taverna, all in their twenties. Thomas is an American in baggy shorts. He’s on a sabbatical from his job in California, and evidently quite well off. Elsa is a tall and very beautiful German who, we learn later, has been working as a TV presenter but has left her job. David is a rather awkward English guy who tends to say the wrong thing, although he’s very kind and well-meaning. 

Then there’s a young couple from Ireland, Shane and Fiona. It’s clear from the start that they are mismatched. Fiona - who is a nurse - is devastated as the tragedy unfolds. Shane thinks it’s nothing to do with him. He’s abrupt and grumpy, and uninterested in socialising. Fiona is devoted to Shane and does all she can, insisting nobody else understands him. 

As the day draws to a close, the visitors have to leave to get back to their accommodation in the village. They know they’ll see each other again as it’s a small place, although Shane is anxious to move on. He and Fiona are staying in an uncomfortable room which is all they can afford. She loves the beauty and friendliness of the place, while he wants to get to a city as soon as possible.

The book follows these diverse characters over the next few days, interacting with local folk in the village, and getting to know some of them quite well. There’s Vonni, for instance; she came from Ireland twenty years earlier, and evidently has some secrets in her past which the tourists are all curious about. Her story comes out slowly, as she shares little parts with the tourists. And they slowly get to know each other, too. Despite coming from four different countries, they find a lot in common.

Since I live in a Greek-speaking country, I could relate to a lot of the culture and descriptions. The Greek words that the tourists (David in particular) pick up are familiar to me. I know the kinds of foods that they ate, too. Evidently Maeve Binchy spent some holidays - or perhaps longer periods - in Greece. It reads as if written by someone who appreciated the people and culture.

As the story progresses it becomes clear that each of the tourists - and some of the Greek locals - have family problems. Andreas’s son Adonis lives in Chicago and hasn’t been in touch for a long time. Vonni hasn’t seen her son for even longer. Thomas has a nine-year-old son in California, living with his mother and stepfather, and Thomas decided it was good for his son that he travel a long distance away. Over the course of the book, Thomas begins to see things differently and to appreciate his son’s point of view better.

Elsa has run away from someone in Germany - someone she loves, but feels she cannot trust. She has to make some serious decisions too, and has a lot of correspondence before she finally reaches a conclusion. And David has escaped from his rather stifling parents; he’s an only child and his father wants him to go into his business, while David is more of a free spirit; he wants to write, and paint, and learn about the world before settling down to a desk job. 

Fiona has also escaped from her parents, who are obsessively trying to plan for their silver wedding party. There were angry words exchanged when she set out on her travels, as they didn’t like Shane at all. But the more they criticised him, the more she stood up for him. Fiona and Shane’s relationship comes to a head after an unpleasant incident, and she has to make some difficult decisions too.

It’s entirely a character-based book, and I thought it quite clever to start with a tragedy that drew these diverse people together so quickly. Maeve Binchy had a gift with characterisation, and I felt as if I got to know each of the tourists (except Shane) quite well. I didn’t know how it was going to end for any of them, or what decisions they would eventually make. And I thought the ending was very well handled, with positive outcomes and plenty of hope for the future.

Perhaps it’s a bit sanitised, with a lot of things working out a tad too easily. But I didn’t think of that until after I had finished. The writing is evocative and perfectly paced for my tastes. I was entirely drawn into the story, and sad when I had to close the last page, feeling as if I were saying goodbye to some people I cared about.  

Highly recommended.

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