Who doesn't like gifts?

The Gift of Rain
Tan Twan Eng
Weinstein Books

While it is true that I can still spend hours wandering through the aisles at a bookstore, it is not quite the experience that it once was.  Not only are independent booksellers getting harder to find (I'm VERY lucky in that I live within driving distance of The Bookshelf in Guelph,) but the cookie-cutter approach to the big box stores is more than a little depressing.  That said, I understand that it is the homogeneity of the business model that affords me such great discounts on the things I like to read.  It is a bit of a pickle, isn't it?

So, sometimes to escape the uniform browsing experience and still get a make-me-happy-on-the-inside discount, I purchase books online.  That, too, is fraught with issues in that I am now the recipient of all sorts of unwanted book recommendations.   "If you liked The Hunger Games, we think you'll love Twilight."  Oh please. When it comes to reading novels, I like to go old school and rely on the advice of my friends and loved ones.  The Gift of Rain, was one such book.  My friend Nigel recommended it toward the end of the summer.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading it, but wow.  We've found our second 2011 candidate for the DES book of the year. 

The Gift of Rain is set in Malaysia and the bulk of the story takes place in and around the Second World War.  The main character, Phillip Hutton, is a 16 year old boy of mixed parentage (British/Chinese), who never seems to fit in.  One day, while the rest of his family is off London for an extended stay, Phillip meets a quiet, mysterious Japanese man.  As it turns out, Endo-san is renting some ocean front property from Phillip's father and the two solitary, isolated figures develop a relationship.  It doesn't take the reader long to figure out that Endo-san is a Japanese spy preparing the island for invasion.  It takes Phillip a little longer and when his epiphany comes, it is much too late. 

This is an epic story about love, betrayal, and loss and how each are just a matter of perspective.  Told using first-person narration and a series of flashbacks, this novel is incredibly beautiful and once you pick it up, you'll have trouble putting it down.  Five zen moments out of five.