Brandon Shire

Author of Contemporary Gay Romance

You are here: Home / Books / The Value Of Rain

The Value Of Rain

gay fiction A Top Read of 2011 

Best in LGBTQ Fiction for 2011 

When love is locked away, it turns to vengeance.

Charles is 14, and after being discovered with his first love he is forced into a mental hospital to ‘cure’ his sexuality.

For the next ten years, Charles endures mental and physical torture as part of his treatment. When he is finally free, he begins a relentless quest for vengeance against the woman who abetted his commitment – his mother, Charlotte.

The Value of Rain chronicles a journey from hate to the unexpected beginning of redemption and reveals the destructive nature of families, secrets and revenge.

Buy direct and save

(Use code ilovemen during checkout)

 Or purchase from

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. […] prose, he is being labeled by readers and reviewers as a ‘Master Storyteller.’ His first novel, THE VALUE OF RAIN was chosen by Indie book bloggers as a Top Read of 2011 and a Best in LGBTQ Fiction for […]

  2. […] with Me! HomeReviewsReaders’ CommentsAuthor BioLGBT Youth OrganizationsContactBlogBooksThe Value Of RainListening To DustKingpin Billy JackAfflictedBookstore You are here: Home / gay fiction / Music in […]

  4. […] with Me! HomeReviewsReaders’ CommentsAuthor BioLGBT Youth OrganizationsContactBlogBooksThe Value Of RainListening To DustKingpin Billy JackThis Hour: Stories of LGBTQAfflictedBookstore You are here: […]

  5. […] with Me! HomeReviewsReaders’ CommentsAuthor BioLGBT Youth OrganizationsContactBlogBooksThe Value Of RainListening To Dust You are here: Home / lgbt / Questions from […]

  7. […] The Value of Rain (The Practical Group, July 2011) is Brandon Shire’s debut novel. It is the powerful and often emotionally devastating story of Charles Bennett a fourteen-year old boy that, in 1971, is sent by his mother to an institution for the mentally insane when found sleeping in the same bed with his best friend and lover Robert. Spanning two decades from 1971 to 1991, the story chronicles Charles’ ten years of institutionalization in two separate facilities, the physical and emotional horrors he and others endure under the guise of psychiatric treatment, the relationships he forms with two young men while incarcerated, and his quest for vengeance against his mother’s cruelty when he’s released at the age of twenty-four. Mr. Shire’s distinct literary style not only captures the emotional intensity of the expereinces of Charles and the other characters in this novel, his writing envelopes the reader within it. His use of language is quite distinct in that the novel is written in a lyrical and poetic style with subtle descriptions juxtaposed the brutality and horrors that Charles and the other characters endure. This story resonated with me on a number of levels. On the surface it is about a young man’s journey into hell and his quest for revenge. However, for me this story speaks to, among others, the failure of societies to ensure the protection and rights of children, teens and young adults, in particular LGBTQ youth. For a debut novel The Value of Rain is extremely well written and Mr. Shire is most definitely an author I will be watching for in the future. (The review of this novel is forthcoming) […]