Halifax-based author unveils the long-awaited History of Rain

Stephens Gerard Malone’s fifth published book is the highly-anticipated follow-up to his 2011 accalimed Africville-set novel, ‘Big Town’

CITYnews\ Steve Gow

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Halifax author Stephens Gerard Malone may have just released his fifth acclaimed novel, but obtaining a successful career as a writer hasn’t always been a bed of roses.

In fact, the 63-year-old scribe admits early in his struggles, he once even wall-papered his apartment with rejection letters from publishing houses.

“That’s when you would get rejection letters in the mail,” laughs Malone about furnishing his former roach-infested Toronto residence with cold-shouldered correspondence from publishers. “I thought, well I’m not just going to throw these out — I’m going to put them up on the wall for motivation.”

Looking back, Malone is thankful he culled incentive from those dismissive documents.

After all, his latest book The History of Rain is quickly gaining traction among readers, critics and colleagues alike.  Award-winning author Carol Bruneau (Brighten the Corner Where You Are) has even described it “a novel as dazzling as the gardens at the heart of it.”

A sprawling story that travels from Europe at the height of the World War One to Old Hollywood, the book follows the journey of Rain — a war veteran who, after being permanent disfigured in battle, finds solace from a French army hospital caretaker who tends to the gardens.

“I say give the earth your rage, young man, and she’ll give you flowers,” says the old gardener to the scarred soldier in the novel. Following that advice, Rain eventually becomes an expert horticulturalist, designing opulent gardens around the world while following an unrequited love for decades.

“I started writing this book about gardens and I had lots of really incredible gardens but no story tying anything together,” admits Malone about The History of Rain‘s origin — the idea of which began after friends who owned a former garden store in the Hydrostone Market suggested writing a narrative to attract readers who equally loved horticulture.

“It was only until I focused back on who the gardener was and why he was creating these gardens and how, at the end, there was going to be some reckoning for him — then it all started coming together.”

The story was also inspired by Malone’s late grandfather who died when the author was only an infant.  While he never got to know the man, Malone inherited his ancestor’s love of gardening and soon connected it to his main character in the book.

“My mother always talked about his peonies and how he took great pride in those,” says Malone. “The theme started to resonate with me about loss and about how little time we have, regret and how a garden was such a great metaphor for all of it.”

While The History of Rain is an expansive story that occurs all over the globe, Malone finds that it is still being embraced by fans of local literature. A follow-up to his acclaimed novel Big Town — an account of a white family living on the outskirts of Africville during the destruction of the former Black community — The History of Rain was a chance for Malone to take a temporary break from East Coast narratives.

“I didn’t want to do something where I had to do tons and tons of research,” says Malone, noting that he still intends to eventually return to local literature. “I am always daunted about writing about Nova Scotia because there’s so many really good Nova Scotia writers already doing it.”

At the same time, Malone admits that one of the reasons he loves being an author in Nova Scotia is because of the strong support and lack of cutthroat rivalry. Indeed, getting published may still be a major accomplishment in Atlantic Canada but at least he no longer fears receiving those scathing rejection letters in the mail.

“I feel really privileged to still be doing this and that someone still wants to publish it,” says Malone, adding he’s particularly pleased with local publisher, Nimbus. “It’s not like (they say), if you don’t get nominated for the Giller (Prize), we’re going to drop you. It seems like they’re genuinely interested in the writer and in the career and to find that in Nova Scotia — that’s pretty awesome.”

For more information on The History of Rain, visit the Nimbus website.