Rain

Reading that after a prolonged period of dry spell the rain had come back to the West Country, made me think of Somerset.

Not the rural county in south west England but the author Somerset Maugham who wrote twenty novels including Of Human Bondage, The Razor's Edge, The Moon and Sixpence and others.

He was also a master of short stories set in exotic locations and dealing with morality, human frailty, hypocrisy and conflict.

During a journey from Honolulu to Western Samoa in December 1916, Somerset Maugham and a friend were forced to stop in Pago Pago due to an outbreak of measles on their ship.

They and all the passengers disembarked and found lodgings in a guesthouse where they stayed for several weeks.

The author observed the tense interactions of his fellow travellers and that, plus the frequent and prolonged periods of torrential rain hitting the roof of the building, inspired him to write a story first published as 'Miss Thompson' and later retitled 'Rain'. 

Two dominant personalities are the central characters of the story. Reverend Davidson, a strict missionary who  is intent on making Miss Sadie Thompson, a free-spirited woman, who is a sex worker, repent of her sins.

Their conflict lhas tragic consequences.

I won't spoil your fun by revealing the plot but I advise those who haven;t read it not to miss this popular story that still stands the test of time.