Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie

Book Review

Awesome debut novel alert! 🚨

Fans of The Girl With The Louding Voice and/or Memoirs of Geisha, this one’s for you!

Firstly, thanks so much to Literati for sending me this gifted copy. If you aren’t familiar with Literati, you should definitely check them out! It’s a monthly book subscription box that offers five different book clubs led by prominent individuals (aka Luminaries). I chose Malala’s book club and this was her January pick.

Fifty Words for Rain spans across several decades as it follows the life of Nori, the illegitimate daughter of a Japanese heiress and an American soldier in post-WWII Japan. At the age of eight, Nori is abandoned by her mother on the doorstep of her grandparents’ illustrious Kyoto estate, where she is condemned as a stain on the family name and sentenced to a life of isolation and punishment. After two years of existing solely within the confines of an attic and enduring weekly beatings and skin-bleaching baths, Akira, the brother Nori never knew she had, shows up in Kyoto. For the first time, Nori learns what it’s like to have someone that genuinely cares for her. As Nori and Akira develop an unbreakable bond, Nori’s grandmother, the matriarch of the family, takes drastic actions to ensure her family’s legacy is upheld.

This heartbreaking coming-of-age story is incredibly powerful and will keep you guessing right up until the end. I loved seeing how Nori navigated the various seasons of her life, especially in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. At its core, this is a story about unconditional love, loss, obedience and acceptance.

While this is an incredibly beautiful piece of literature, I would have liked to see some of the scenes fleshed out a bit more. Especially those that were particularly impactful to Nori’s life. Nevertheless, this book is a work of art and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 stars

TW: physical and verbal abuse, sexual assault, attempted suicide and death of a loved-one.

Reading this book made me realize how few books I’ve read that take place in Japan. If you have any recommendations for others, please let me know!