Review: When the Past Comes Calling...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2012
Greg Gifune has been creating some of the most memorable dark fiction for the past decade with critically acclaimed works like "The Bleeding Season," "Deep Night," "Heretics," and "Saying Uncle," just to name a few. Now you can add his latest novella "The Rain Dancers" to his ever-growing list.Will and Betty Colby have returned to Betty's hometown to clean out and sell her late father's home, but her "Uncle Bob" has decided to drop in for a visit to pay his condolences. Arriving at the old ramshackle house at the end of a deserted dirt road in the middle of a calamitous rainstorm, seemingly harmless and caring Uncle Bob regales the couple with tales of old, stories of Betty's youth, and remembrances of Betty's father. The only problem is, neither of them know who Uncle Bob is, and Will is certain that he's making blatant passes at his wife.Through a haze of beer and wine while the storm ravages the landscape outside, Will tries desperately to convince his wife that there's something wrong with the old man, who seems to know secrets about Will himself, all leading to a shocking and heartbreaking finality, but maybe the only ending possible for those involved...because when the past comes calling, you must answer.Gifune's prose is fluid, his pacing perfectly plotted, and his characters full of life. These components always seem to be true of Greg's work, and "The Rain Dancers" is no exception.