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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. This remarkable debut saga of intrigue and akido flashes back to a darkly opulent WWII-era Malaya. Phillip Hutton, 72, lives in serene Penang comfort, occasionally training students as an akido master teacher of teachers. A visit from Michiko Murakami sends him spiraling back into his past, where he grows up the alienated half-British, half-Chinese son of a wealthy Penang trader in the years before WWII. When Hutton's father and three siblings leave him to run the family company one summer, he befriends a mysterious Japanese neighbor named Mr. Endo. Japan is on the opposing side of the coming war, but Endo paradoxically opts to train Hutton in the ways of aikido, in what both men come to see as the fulfillment of a prophecy that has haunted them for several lifetimes. When the Japanese army invades Malaya, chaos reigns, and Phillip makes a secret, very profitable deal. He cannot, however, offset the costs of his friendship with Endo. Eng's characters are as deep and troubled as the time in which the story takes place, and he draws on a rich palette to create a sprawling portrait of a lesser explored corner of the war. Hutton's first-person narration is measured, believable and enthralling. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Glorious ... Rain is a gift indeed, as robustly absorbing as it is achingly poignant." (USA Today )
"A true saga ... The Gift of Rain overflows with mesmerizing beauty and wonder ... an eloquent tale about friendship transforms into a frightful chronicle of betrayal and survival." (Minneapolis Star Tribune )
"The Gift of Rain sends the reader back into the world of Somerset Maugham-the waning British Empire, the simmering discord between classes and races, the thick tropical surroundings that are both beautiful and suffocating-but at a different angle. Maugham cast a cynical eye on human nature and its frailties; Tan Twan Eng looks upon them with compassion, like a creator might view the imperfections of his handiwork." (Cleveland Plain Dealer )
"Eng's graceful prose evokes a time and place that is little known or remembered now, making it both exotic and familiar, and his beautiful narrative is woven with strong images and characters .... The Gift of Rain is a gift to read." (San Francisco Chronicle )
"Beautifully written and deeply moving, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel is one of the best books I've ever read .... Anyone who thinks the novel is in decline should read this one." (Philadelphia Inquirer )
"A true saga ... The Gift of Rain overflows with mesmerizing beauty and wonder ... an eloquent tale about friendship transforms into a frightful chronicle of betrayal and survival." (Minneapolis Star Tribune )
"The Gift of Rain sends the reader back into the world of Somerset Maugham-the waning British Empire, the simmering discord between classes and races, the thick tropical surroundings that are both beautiful and suffocating-but at a different angle. Maugham cast a cynical eye on human nature and its frailties; Tan Twan Eng looks upon them with compassion, like a creator might view the imperfections of his handiwork." (Cleveland Plain Dealer )
"Eng's graceful prose evokes a time and place that is little known or remembered now, making it both exotic and familiar, and his beautiful narrative is woven with strong images and characters .... The Gift of Rain is a gift to read." (San Francisco Chronicle )
"Beautifully written and deeply moving, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel is one of the best books I've ever read .... Anyone who thinks the novel is in decline should read this one." (Philadelphia Inquirer )
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Most helpful customer reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Divided Loyalties,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Gift of Rain: A Novel (Hardcover)
This novel - a finalist for the prestigious Booker Prize - is one sizzler of a modern tale involving intrigue and adventure. It takes place in old-colonial Southeast Asia in the 30s and 40s. The story covers the life of a British-Chinese trader family and its various members as they try to establish themselves in a fast-changing society. Young Philip Hutton, offspring of a western-oriental marriage, chooses an interesting path that takes him into the world of Japanese culture through a friendsip with a diplomat named Endo. Through learning martial arts from this man, Philip forms a deep bond of affection that often conflicts with his father's values. Mr. Hutton Senior, a father who is rarely around because of his business interests, discovers that Philip has developed a strong reliance on Endo's view of a future world, and this bothers him. The boy's late mother has left him with a tenuous connection with the Chinese community in Malaya, which only further confuses the issue of where his affinities lie. All this radically changes when the Japanese Imperial Army invades the Malayan coast in late 1941. The Hutton business concerns and family holdings are destroyed. Philip, by this time a young man, sides with the Japanese occupying forces and, because of his fluency in Japanese, becomes a facilitor for Endo who is now the local governor and lives on an island once owned by the Huttons. It is this part of the narrative where Philip, collaborating in order to minimize the damage and injury to civilians, is forced to make some very risky compromises. This is a time when the future of family and friends is held in the balance and sometimes found wanting. As brothers, sisters and father turn on each other, Philip finally chooses to step out and make the courageous decision to resist the cruel Japanese occupation. The reader should look for that defining moment in the story when father and son become reconciled in their willingness to sacrifice their lives for each other's safety. The presence of rain is a very significant metaphor in this book that describes the power of love to remove the stain of fear and hatred borne out of misunderstanding. It is the gift that removes the stigma of guilt and allows life to start afresh.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews) 78 of 78 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling Read,
By Sharon "Sharon Bakar" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gift Of Rain (Paperback)
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. 31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a deeply satisfying historical novel,
By Simone Oltolina - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gift of Rain: A Novel (Hardcover)
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. 28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
'I was born with the gift of rain ..',
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gift Of Rain (Paperback)
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 |
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