An easy read (despite some of the heavy themes it deals with) The Gift of Rain is a heart-rending tale of love, trust, courage, loyalty and despair in the bitter face of war. Set during the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the novel is centred around Philip Hutton, a young man of Chinese-English heritage, and his relationship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat who teaches him the Japanese art of aikido. Both men are caught between love and loyalty, to each other and to their countries.
Complexities of identity are revealed in many layers throughout The Gift of Rain, from bigger questions of loyalty and allegiance, to Philip’s feelings of being a foreigner in his own family, to constant the knife-edge balance between respect and infatuation, good and evil, honour and cowardice. This novel by Tan Twan Eng is a must-read for anyone planning on visiting Penang in Malaysia, as, although it is fictional, this book provides some thought-provoking insight into the difficulties of the island’s past.
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