"That summer there was a shower" is a completely new color scheme for young people and at the same time is a ticket back to school age and youth.
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Tran Tung Chinh has been a familiar name in the literary world for over 30 years. After books that left an impression on readers such as: Spring Camp (Kim Dong Publishing House, 2017) , Dad Tells Me (Vietnamese Women Publishing House, 2018) , Brothers... Transform (Kim Dong Publishing House, 2019) , ... last May, the writer released the short story collection That Summer Had a Rainstorm published by Kim Dong Publishing House (2023).
Each of us has experienced a carefree, carefree student life, the most beautiful age of our lives, during which we have countless happy and sad memories, countless innocent and naive memories with teachers and friends. And capturing that common sentiment, the book was born like a symphony with countless humorous, bright and profound stories that take readers into different levels of student life so that in some unconscious way we suddenly recognize ourselves in each word.
Sweet and lovely, gentle and calm are the emotions that you can feel when you finish reading the story collection That Summer There Was a Shower of Rain by author Tran Tung Chinh. A collection of short stories about the most innocent and beautiful time of each person - school age - college age.
If there are short story collections with stories imbued with philosophy of life, dogma, doctrine and heavy contemplation of life, then That Summer There Was a Shower of Rain is a completely new color for young people and at the same time is also a ticket back to school age, youth for those who have passed by and long to return once.
Throughout the collection are short stories carrying gentle messages about love, teacher-student relationships, and innocent and pure friendships through simple and rustic writing that is true to the Southwest and also true to the age of "first devil, second ghost".
That summer there was a shower of only 10 short stories, but behind each story are many nostalgic and thoughtful emotions that the author brings to the reader. I thought that the feelings of jealousy of school age, of the carefree, carefree days would stop at the threshold of university, but no, those feelings haunt people every minute. Even though she was a first-year student, Thao was still "uncomfortable" when she witnessed Thuoc forging the signature of her parents to write a request for Bich to leave school, " Who wants to avoid you! Who needs to pay attention to me? Worry about those who often miss school, so you can write a request for permission" ( First year ).
Reading the work, we will see the silhouettes of people who love passionately, longing to find love and express their feelings, but in that passion there is still a trace of "childishness", "impulsiveness" and determination to give up their passion just because of the two words "broken heart". Love is a sacred emotion that nature bestows on humans, but how to love properly and beautifully, for first-year students sometimes need a "Hai Lua Advisor" to teach them. "The teacher suggested that Tan should be cold, like the handsome guys in Korean movies (...) Then the teacher concluded with a sentence: What is yours will naturally belong to you, and what is not, no matter how much you hold on, you will still be empty-handed in the end." (The Advisor Teacher) .
And then in youth, it does not stop at love but also the days of studying, participating in activities for the benefit of the community, together setting out to carry out the "Green Summer Campaign" with the slogan "Students live, the people love. Work, the people trust. Go, the people remember. Determined, determined,..." (That summer there was a shower of rain) .
In those memorable marches, many love stories blossomed but also had many tragic consequences. " ... I'm sorry. I only like boys" - in that sentence is a desire, a desire to freely express oneself in front of everyone, freedom in love. "And like many other male and female couples, we love each other. But love is very strange. I only know that when I love the right person, it doesn't matter who that person is, what gender, where they are from or what their family situation is. As long as we love each other. As long as we want and crave to be together. That's enough" (A Whole Sky of Spring Remembered).
In particular, understanding the common feelings of students away from home, the author evoked many beautiful images of the homeland with a rickety rickshaw; the sound of mosquitoes buzzing around; the fragrant smell of longan spreading in the garden; the image of the father wearing a black ao dai lighting incense on the altar;... all mixed with the proud crowing of the neighbor's rooster, "a normal sound that when away from home, one naturally feels so nostalgic..." (The Rooster). Simple things but very dear.
When reading That Summer There Was a Shower, if you accidentally find yourself in one or several stories, don't be surprised because the stories that the author brings into each work are inspired by the dynamic and youthful school environment. As a teacher, the author has witnessed many "up and down, tragic, passionate" love stories of students, many happy and sad stories in each classroom have created an endless source of inspiration for the author to freely write many interesting stories about school age.
With a simple, cute, rustic and familiar storytelling style, the author sometimes makes readers laugh out loud because of the humorous use of words like " Xeo-phì", "gallery", "magnificent appearance", ... and the innocent thoughts of adolescence, but when the story finally ends, we will realize that there is something lingering in our souls, a little nostalgia, a little regret and a little bit of time...
The book That Summer There Was a Shower of Rain by writer Tran Tung Chinh is a wonderful spiritual gift, a profound companion, a sweet return ticket for everyone who is longing to return to the most poetic, innocent and beautiful days of their school years.
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