The Gift of Rain

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng illuminates an aspect of WWII that was unfamiliar to me and probably many other people, that is, the occupation of Malaya by the Japanese. The story is told in retrospect by an elderly Phillip Hutton, the half-Chinese son of a man who owns one of the largest businesses in Penang. Growing up, Phillip was an outsider, connecting with neither his British father and half brothers, nor the Chinese community in Penang. When he meets a charismatic Japanese aikido master, Endo-san, he becomes his student and unwitting collaborator with the Japanese invaders. This is a multilayered book, weaving together multiple cultures with the horrors of war, the beauty and violence of aikido, a deeply conflicted personal relationship between Phillip and Endo-san, and the strength of family ties. The fight scenes are extremely graphic and difficult to read, and there are a few other places where the narrative drags a bit, but overall I found this to be a fascinating read that I would highly recommend.