The Gift of Rain

Travel Guide

Both Tan and his character Charles are so vivid and evocative in their descriptions and memories that it is almost as if they have pictures or have transported themselves back in time. The locales here may be evocative and exciting but the trouble which unfolds amidst this beauty is shocking as it is inspiring.

The mix of cultures during war times was a strong part of the novel  –  Chinese and British settlers together with and the Japanese invaders. Not forgetting the Malay locals of course but their country is invaded and suppressed so their story is less than of other cultures present

The Gift of rain is something that Philip explains that he was told he had by a fortune teller. It’s something he has never understood but later begins to. Of course in such a landscape the rains feature heavily throughout the story and are as much a character as any other. The rains are of course the monsoons and can dictate a family’s survival or financial ruin in seconds. You can never know what these rains can achieve – and its something we can’t change. A metaphor for life if ever we heard one.

With such lyrical language too, the words used are as lush as the exotic setting.

Of course the setting of Malaya – the former name of Malaysia was very different to what it is now, but on the map above we highlight the main parts as they are now. there are two maps in the book itself which show how Penang island in particular was divided.