A deeply personal rumination on the existential explanations for the desperation and sadness experienced by those suffering from addiction and mental disorder, this nuanced memoir brings to life the troubled, decade-long relationship between Eli Hastings and his friend Serala. At family events, Serala wore saris and ate delicately from plates of curry. But elsewhere, she wore a lip ring, designer shades, and a cowboy hat; would regularly drink frat boys under the table; would sleep less than five hours a week; and would place herself in dangerous situations for another bag of heroin. Serala’s complex character and seemingly haphazard choices are made real, from ill-advised quests for narcotics in Mexican border towns to unplanned 50-hour road trips from L.A. to New York City. Although her dark and traumatic journey concluded tragically at age 27, Eli Hastings writes with hopeful resolution about his unique friendship.

Eli Hastings' profile page

Eli Hastings is a writer and a family therapy intern. He is the author of Falling Room. He lives in Seattle.

"[Serala's] story is as biting and claustrophobic as Nicolas Cage's in Leaving Las Vegas, but it is drawn with great affection. Hastings became both her friend and her lover, and he is brutally honest in his assessments of her flaws and of their relationship. . . . As elemental, lyrical and cringe-inducing a love story as they come." —Kirkus Reviews (March 2013)

"In electric, adventurous prose, Eli Hastings' Clearly Now, the Rain tells the story of loving one wrecked soul, and the rich, dark wonder of the joys to be found along the way."  —Paul Lisicky, author, Famous Builder and Lawnboy

"Eli Hastings will make you fall in love—and then he will punch through your ribcage and rip your heart out—and by the end of his moving memoir, Clearly Now, the Rain, you will thank him for it."  —Benjamin Percy, author, Refresh, Refresh and The Wilding