An epic novel nominated for the Man Booker Prize, this extraordinary debut tells the story of a young manÕs perilous journey through the betrayals of war and into manhood. Written in lush, evocative prose, The Gift of Rain spans decades as it takes readers from the final days of the Chinese emperors to the dying era of the British Empire, and through the mystical temples, bustling cities, and forbidding rain forests of Malaya.