The Gift of Rain

What a great book about people and their relationships and loves and loyalty. I loved the structure and the ease with which this first-time novelist moved in and out of present and past. Though painful at times, it was very moving and it made me cry at the end as it really speaks of and for mankind. I highly recommend it.

This is a shimmering beauty of a novel. It is equal parts coming-of-age story and historical/political suspense, told with a lyrical grace that convincingly transports the reader to an exotic world. Elements of many memorable stories--the novels of GRAHAM GREENE and SOMERSET MAUGHAM, THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, and thematically reminiscent of classic adolescent tales like THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE. A rich and rewarding reading experience.

TGOR is a fantastic novel that brings everything to the table: beautiful language, history, suspense, big themes of torn loyalty and self-discovery. It's one of those rare examples of a deeply satisfying novel that leaves nothing to be desired. Set during WWII-era, the novel stars Philip Hutton, the half-Chinese son of a wealthy English trader living in Penang, Malaysia. Philip's mixed blood causes him not to be fully accepted by either the Chinese or the English, leaving him unsure of his place in the world. Then, one day, he meets a visiting Japanese official, Endo-san, who takes him on as a pupil to teach him the secrets of aikido along with the underlying 'way of life'. Endo's motives are not completely disinterested, though: with the Japanese preparing to invade Malaysia, Endo can get a lot of information out a young boy so familiar with the island grounds. When the Japanese ultimately occupy Penang, Philip must make a choice: he can betray his people, by siding with the Japanese, or fight against the latter. Caught between two fires, Philips opts for a compromise of some sort: he becomes the aide of Endo (a high-ranking official of the invading forces) but uses his influence to soften the effects of the domination. Nothing is really black-or-white in the way Philip or Endo-san behave. Just like in real life, characters are torn between feelings of love and duty, between fear and vengeance. Endo-san relationships with Philip lives in this space and is very cleverly constructed. If the setting alone (I gather most western reader won't be overly familiar with Japan role during WWII, aside from the main events we all know about) doesn't draw you in, the engaging narrative will do, coupled with evocative passages that offer dreamlike depictions of the lush Malay landscapes. Higly recommended.

Elderly Philip Hutton is the last surviving member of one of Penang's trading families when the bachelor quiet of his life is shattered by an unexpected visitor, a Japanese woman called Michiko Murakami. And although they have never met before, their histories are interlinked: both cared deeply for the same man, Hayato Endo, and need to find relief for past pain by sharing their life-stories. Philip first meets the enigmatic Endo, a Japanese diplomat who is leasing a small island from Phillip's father, in 1939. Half-British, half-Chinese Philip is a loner and a misfit, and finds himself drawn into a relationship with Endo, who takes him on as his student and teaches him aikido-jitsu - a martial art still in its infancy, as well as the Japanese language and culture. As the clouds of war grow increasingly ominous, it is clear that Endo is training Phillip in skills which will eventually save his life. But is Endo all that he appears to be, and should Phillip be prepared to trust him? Once the Japanese invade, Philip is forced to make the most difficult decisions about where his loyalties must lie. There is a tremendous amount of historical fact and, of course, as in any Malaysian novel aimed at an international readership, a great deal of information on the complex social background of the country. What is quite amazing is that despite this the pace of the story never becomes bogged down by a heavy load of background detail. Indeed where the novel succeeds best is in the strong drive of the narrative, and in the painstaking recreation of the setting. Penang of the thirties and forties is brought to life so well that you feel that you could almost be reading a contemporary account. Particularly vivid are the scenes of the British attempting the flee Penang during the first air-raids, and the harrowing scene of a village massacre. Although written in a style that deliberately does not draw attention to itself, the novel unashamedly draws on romantic oriental elements with the deliberate chinoiserie of the imagery (the waves unroll like Chinese scrolls, the clouds are compared a dragon's belly) and the delicate motifs of insects - fireflies, butterflies and dragonflies which each represent an aspect of the story. "The Gift of Rain" is in every sense a "big" book, not only substantial in size, but also in theme, and in the amount of incident that is crammed into it. It's hard to know just how to pigeonhole it. Literary fiction? Thriller? Historical novel? Big screen kung-fu movie with Hollywood glitz and glamour translated to the page? The novel combines elements of all of these, yet succeeds very much on its own term, raising important questions about loyalty and betrayal, predestination and free will.

This is a powerful and compelling first novel. Starting in 1939 on Penang Island, the novel tells the story of Philip Hutton and his friendship with Hayato Endo. As war engulfs much of Asia and spills into Malaya, tensions between families and within families overwhelm both the past and the present. While the characters are fictional, the historical setting is not. The story moves through the events of the war and, with the visit of Michiko, a friend of Hayato Endo, some 50 years later we are able to fill in many of the gaps between the past and the present. This is a story of betrayal, cruelty, courage and love. Above all, it is a reminder that first impressions are not always complete or accurate. 'What will damn us will not be papers, but the memories of men.' Highly recommended. Jennifer Cameron-Smith