The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the near future water falls from the sky whenever someone lies (either a mist or a torrential flood depending on the intensity of the lie). This makes life difficult for Matt as he maneuvers the marriage question with his lover and how best to “come out” to his traditional Chinese parents.
What you need to know first about the story is that is a cute love story, and includes a coming out arc. Yes, there is a magic realism element in that water falls on a person who is lying, but that is mostly a background thing. Matt has been proposed to by this boyfriend, and though he said yes, he doesn’t know how to break the news to his parents. The upcoming Christmas is a good opportunity for him to come out to his family, but only if he has the courage for it.
So, about that water that falls on the liar, it is a supernatural element that is not explained in the book. It just is, and started some years ago (again, not mentioned) but people have got used to it, and it just is the reality of the world now. (Btw, this would be so great for farmers – all they gotta do for irrigation is go in the middle of their field and lie) But what it means for the story is that it provides irrefutable proof of a statement, (again, crazy useful if you are a researcher) which in this case is Gus’s feelings for Matt, and vice versa. Even Matt’s sister’s objection to their relationship is shot down when confronted by the fact of it. The writer blends this concept into a simple love story and gives it that little special touch. However, I feel it bends more towards fantasy than science fiction, which is what this is labelled as. (Hey, I could be convinced if the origin of the water were explained)
Trigger warning: homomisia
Read it on the TOR website
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