OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK...

The Gift of Rain
by Tan Twan Eng (Weinstein)

Also drawing from Malaysia is this quietly lyrical debut, set primarily during World War II. This reader can think of few books, debut or otherwise, that draw so adroitly and poignantly on the closest emotional bonds that can be made at a time in one’s life when betrayal occurs and when adult choices to forsake possibility mean not every possibility can be lived, including those of deep longing. The Japanese occupation of Penang is powerfully and incisively rendered. Death, life, and the attempt to reconcile and accept the choices made in the past are also at the heart of this most memorable novel. -R. Simonson