The Gift of Rain

Miles 7 - 7

Thought it odd that there was no love interest and wondered, as many of us did, if Phillip was gay. Many of the interactions with Endo-san bordered on the erotic. Thought it did a good job conveying all the different cultures in the region.  Characters were odd, sometimes cliched and disconnected. The book didn't resonate emotionally with him. 

Michelle 8.5 - 8.5

Got into the story and couldn't wait to read it. Kept thinking that Phillip was older than he really was. She thought his father, Noel was a nice man. So much happened in the book she wonders if she should read it again. She thought that Phillip did what he had to do to save his family. It kept her guessing and she liked the foreshadowing and poetic use of language, especially describing the rain. 

Me 7.5 - 8

The stylized writing demanded your undivided attention for long stretches at a time and it didn't click for me until I began to picture it as a well done HBO type epic told over 4 or 5 seasons. I knew where it was going from reading the back of the book and wish I hadn't. Once the Japanese landed time flew, and thankfully the occupation was over soon after it began. 

Becky 9 - 9

Found this a page turner once she became immersed in the story. Somehow knew that Phillip would be the sole survivor from his family. Liked the foreshadowing of doom hanging over them at the beginning of the book with the imagery of snakes hanging over the diners. Found much horrific. Didn't like the fireflies and wondered what was going on between Endo-san and Phillip when Endo-san was feeding him. 

Carolyn 5 - 5

Thought it a very long, descriptive, and sad book. She was frustrated with all the characters. Wondered how many people Phillip had to watch get murdered. Didn't like that Endo and Phillip shared dreams of past lives where they murdered each other. She thought Phillip redeemed himself a bit when he became a double-agent against Japan. 

Letitia 9 - 9

Found the relationship between Phillip and Endo-san very meaningful. Thought the age difference between the two was somewhat compensated by how mature Phillip was. He personified the melding of all the cultures and histories of the island, but thinks that Endo-san was able to manipulate him, in part, because of this unique heritage. She thinks Phillip would have been better off joining Kon in the jungle. 

K'Lynn 6 - 6

Thought it a mixed bag. At first she thought Phillip was a woman and was 60 pages in before she figured it out. All the customs and traditions of the island were illuminated in depth and the philosophical questions he raised drew her in. She found the writing and pictures created in her mind beautiful, but the characters were 2-dimensional and flat. She felt no empathy for Endo-san or Phillip. 

Sandy 5 - 6

Thought it had moments of beautiful writing but then would find herself just wishing Phillip would shut up. She felt manipulated by Phillip's grandfather and thought that he got an easy pass back into the family. He was nothing but a gangster. There were so many situations and cultural differences that it made it hard to focus. She found it creepy and sad that he admired Endo more than his own family. 

Kath

Greetings from Siberia!

I totally got caught up in this book. The writing was so lyrical; even though the foreshadowing implied things would not end happily, it was written in such zen-like, meditative way I just found it such a satisfying read. I actually never got the gay vibe and truthfully never gave a thought to his sexuality or even noticed that there was no love story. I found Phillip & Endo’s relationship to be very poignant; one of two outsiders finding a connection and duty bound for and against each other in sorrowful ways. 

At one point I was ~300 pages in and found it strange the author hadn’t gotten into the war yet. Once the war pages began, I was glad they were a much smaller part of the book. Lastly, in the middle of a record-breaking cold winter in the NE, it was nice to escape into a tropical climate for a while. :) Kath

The next book is Outline by Rachel Cusk