The Gift of Rain (Canons)

I have given this ambitious first novel four stars because, although flawed, it is thought-provoking and conveys a vivid impression of the cultural diversity of Malaya during the 1930s-40s, and what the diverse population had to endure.As the British in Malaya sleepwalk into the outbreak of World War 2, Philip feels somewhat alienated from the Hutton family who have made money in business and trade in the Far East for over a century. He is the youngest son, and the product of a second marriage between his father and a Chinese woman who died when Philip was small. So, he is susceptible to the influence of the charismatic Endo-san, teacher of the martial art of aikido and probable spy, laying plans for the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Although Philip has been brought up as a Christian, he has flashes of awareness of having lived in a past life with Endo-san, and of achieving a state of enlightenment through meditation.The author's status as a Chinese Malayan and martial arts practitioner give authenticity to a plot with great potential for drama, intrigue and insight into relationships between cultures. I do not mind slow-paced, reflective novels and do not feel the need to like the main character - in this case, Philip comes across as emotionally repressed. So, why did I find Part 1 such hard going? This was partly due to an often stiff and wooden dialogue, although this may have been an attempt to convey the formality of some modes of Far Eastern expression. The plot makes heavy use of reminiscence and a "telling" style, which combine to distance the reader somewhat from events. The confidante Michiko Murakami seems dispensable to me. The book is laden with characters and minor details, and would have been sharper with more ruthless editing.With the Japanese invasion in Part 2, the novel belatedly takes off, improving in both pace, style and dialogue. We know from the outset that Philip collaborates with the Japanese during the war, and now it becomes clear why and how. Is he naïve in thinking this will save his family? Will he ever be forgiven for his apparent treachery? Is he in fact motivated by a homoerotic relationship with Endo-san? - The author never specifically describes this as such, and the link between the two is caught up what may interest Tan Twan Eng most, namely the fact that the two men may be fated to meet in successive lives until certain matters are resolved.Although I would say this book is original and well-written in places, it seems overlong and the author seems reluctant to "call it a day" at the end. Fascinating issues at the heart of the book are somehow not explored as clearly as I hoped. I was also repelled in particular by the obsession with daggers and swords, and switches between moments of an almost psychopathic acceptance of ritual killing to enable even guilty men to die honourably and passages of shallow sentimentality. This is, I suppose, my western take on eastern cultures I do not fully understand.The author's second book, "Garden of the Evening Mists" is similar in having a wealthy half-westernised Malayan fall under the spell of a talented and manipulative Japanese man, in this case a gardener and tattooist. I think the later book shows a development in the author's skill as a writer, although the plot of "The Gift of Rain" is potentially more powerful and moving.

If you are searching for another world in which to immerse yourself, then this novel will fit the requirement. ‘The Gift of Rain’ by Tan Twan Eng will suit anyone interested in the Malay Peninsula and its history in World War Two. It is at times tender, brutal, harsh and uplifting. It is a story of love, family, war, of defeat and acceptance.The story opens as Philip Hutton, an elderly man living in a stately house on Penang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia. To his door comes an elderly, frail Japanese woman. They have never met before, but know one person who made an impact on their lives. Endo-san, a Japanese man, once lived on a tiny island near Istana, the Hutton family home. ‘The Gift of Rain’ is the story of the relationship between Endo-san, a master, sensei, of aikijutsu, and his teenage pupil Philip immediately preceding the Japanese invasion of Malaya in 1941 and the following years of occupation.There are many subtle layers to this tale which left me moved and thirsty for more facts about this period of history. It poses many difficult questions. Like the best novels dealing with war, it challenges you to be honest: what would I have done? It is easy to over-simplify war into ‘them and us’, ‘right and wrong’. At the heart of the story is the island of Penang and the transition of Georgetown, its major town, from a pre-war bustling multi-cultural port to an occupied territory at the mercy of torture and abuse by the Japanese. Some of it is difficult reading, all the more as the place seems alive. The traditions, the cultures, the nature are described vividly. The mix of nationalities on the island is at once its strength but, when war arrives, provide the cracks exploited by the occupiers. Philip is the youngest son of his father with his second wife, a Chinese woman. His two half-brothers and half-sister are English. Philip’s full name is Philip Arminius Choo-Hutton. This mix of races causes tensions, suspicion and betrayal throughout his life.‘The Gift of Rain’ was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2007. ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’ by Tan Twan Eng, about the period in Penang shortly after the end of World War Two, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2012.