When we were in Puerto Lopez and surrounding areas, I was spending my down time completely engrossed in this book. The Gift of Rain is incredible: every paragraph is full of such gorgeous description, you are transported to pre-war Malay in all it’s glory and into the life of a young half Chinese half English boy who can’t identify with society. I love books with some historical context which can teach me a little something and keep me entertained and this novel achieved that and more- we’re now planning our first trip to Asia next year having been spurred on by this book!

PS If anyone has any recommended reading, let me know!