Product Description

An epic novel nominated for the Man Booker Prize, this extraordinary debut tells the story of a young man's perilous journey through the betrayals of war and into manhood. Written in lush, evocative prose, The Gift of Rain spans decades as it takes readers from the final days of the Chinese emperors to the dying era of the British Empire, and through the mystical temples, bustling cities, and forbidding rain forests of Malaya.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18558 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

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)
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From The New Yorker
Set in Penang in the years just before and during the Second World War, this début novel explores the consequences of love and duty. Philip Hutton, born to a British father and a Chinese mother, finds himself drawn to a mysterious Japanese diplomat and aikido master, and soon becomes his devoted student. But their friendship—described in romantic, even erotic terms—is called into question when the Japanese invade the island and Philip must decide whether to join the resistance or collaborate with the occupying army. The wartime narrative is gripping, but Eng's story suffers from stilted dialogue, which is often pressed into service for historical exposition, and overwrought fight scenes. More profoundly, the narrative's gestures toward mythology and a philosophy of reincarnation feel like a distraction from the more compelling concerns of loyalty and loss.
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Library Journal (Starred Review), March 15, 2008
This epic first novel involves the life of Philip Arminius Khoo-Hutton--half-British and half-Chinese, who lives on the Malaysian island of Penang prior to World War II. Feeling like an outcast in his aristocratic British family, he befriends an older Japanese diplomat, Endo-san, who teaches him the art of aikido. A sacred bond grows between student and teacher--"next to a parent, a teacher is the most important person in one's life." When war erupts and the Japanese invade Malaya, Philip finds his loyalty divided between his family and Endo-san. In a series of dramatic events, he discovers support from his courageous Chinese past told through his grandfather, a sustaining friendship with a fellow student of aikido name Kon, and a mysterious association with Endo-san that has been playing out for hundreds of years and can only be broken in a ritual of death. Philip's personal drama unfolds against the backdrop of fascinating glimpses into Chinese culture, British imperialism, and the Japanese occupation that eventually claims the lives of everyone around him. Strong characters and page-turning action make this a top pick for historical fiction.

Customer Reviews

I am in awe
of this book and touched by the story told. It seemed to me to be written with a certain tenderness toward the subject matter that makes the brutality of the tale palatable. I was enchanted by the sprinkling of short descriptive phrases that were sprinkled throughout the story allowing me to taste, feel and see what the main character was experiencing in such a rich way. I had a bit of a time working my way through the first 50 pages. I had almost given up when the story seemed to open up and did not let me go. We readers need more books like this - publishers are you listening???

Luminous, Sweeping Epic With a Unique and Complex Hero
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.

a deeply satisfying historical novel
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.