The Gift of Rain

Philip visits Towkay Yeap as warplanes pass overhead, dropping Japanese propaganda urging the locals to surrender. Philip would like to see Kon, but Towkay Yeap does not know his son’s whereabouts: He has joined the guerilla fighters in the jungle. Towkay Yeap says that he will not leave Penang.

Over the coming days, news of the Japanese advances is accompanied by news of “massacres.” Noel hides his collection of keris and becomes increasingly agitated. One day, Philip returns home with his father to find Japanese officers in the house. Philip recognizes the brutal Goro, who refers to his superior officer, Fujihara. Noel, incensed, demands that they leave. The Japanese men threaten to take the house and the family business. Isabel interrupts with a rifle, threatening the Japanese men until they leave. Philip is angry, certain that he could have dealt with the situation more diplomatically and sure that Goro will seek revenge. Isabel angrily accuses Philip of “fraternizing” with the Japanese.

When Philip suggests that the family leave for Singapore, his father accuses him of not knowing what it means to be a part of the Hutton family. Philip is stunned into silence. Later, without telling anyone, Philip cycles to the Japanese consulate and speaks to Endo and Hiroshi. He wants “to offer [his] services” to the Japanese government (274), in exchange for keeping his family and their business safe. They accept. Philip is told to bow to a picture of the Japanese Emperor.

Isabel cuts her hair and Philip escorts her up Penang Hill, where many of the local women will hide. Many refugees are fleeing the Japanese violence as their army sweeps across the country. Their soldiers use bicycles to traverse the difficult terrain, which Philip also fears may have been a suggestion Endo took from him.

Philip notices that his family and friends now refer to Japanese people using slurs. Isabel tries to apologize to Philip for her recent comments but refers to him as “cold and unemotional” (279), a description which surprises him. Before they part, Noel surprises his daughter by suggesting that she marry Peter MacAllister after the war. He also apologizes to Philip.

From the top of Penang Hill, they can see bombs being dropped on the town. Philip knows that the bombing is being coordinated from a nearby house which he showed to Endo. After a few days, Philip and his father inspect the bombing damage. Their company houses are unaffected, but much has been destroyed. They burn any documents they fear might help the Japanese, while Edward and Peter travel to Kuala Lumpur to destroy documents in the company’s other offices. Philip reflects on his agreement with Endo and Hiroshi, wondering whether he is “betraying the people of [his] island” (283).

Noel takes his son to the docks, where he is ashamed to show him a ship being boarded by British people fleeing the war. Noel refuses to do the same. The island is left defenseless. The bombings continue in the following days. Philip, for the first time, feels real fear. He dodges explosions as he cycles home. When Noel notes that many of the servants suspect that Philip is helping the Japanese, Philip tells his father about his agreement. Noel says that Philip has “betrayed all of [them], all the people of Penang” (289).

The Japanese take over the town. They meet no resistance. Philip watches soldiers marching through the streets. As per Endo’s request, Philip is present for the formal surrender of Penang. He knows that the inhabitants of the town feel that he is a traitor.

Many of the old regime are taken to prison camps, while looters are brutally punished. Executions are common. Hutton & Sons is one of the few businesses permitted to operate as before, though contact has been lost with Edward and Peter in Kuala Lumpur. Noel tries to joke that, in his new role, Philip is working for “the second most powerful man in Penang” and one of the most powerful people in Malaya (292). He struggles to hide the bitterness in his voice.

Philip is photographed alongside the high-ranking Japanese officials, turning his presence into a propaganda coup. He translates for Endo, even when he does not need to do so. When Philip visits his aunt, he sees she has been badly beaten. A Japanese soldier hurt her because she “did not show proper respect” (296). Aunt Mei is curt with Philip; he eventually realizes that she does not want to be seen with him.

Philip tries and fails to track down Edward and Peter. Endo cannot help, as Kuala Lumpur is under the command of Saotome. Hiroshi is little help, as he seems to be dying of tuberculosis. Endo gives Philip a travel pass, which will allow him to search for Edward and Peter, but he warns Philip that they are “prisoners of war” (297). Philip promises Isabel to do his best to find the pair, even as news of torture and violence by the Japanese is rife.

Philip takes the train to Kuala Lumpur. He does not trust Saotome, whom he suspects will revel in any opportunity for cruelty. Saotome says that the names of Edward Hutton and Peter MacAllister are not in his records. After intimidating Philip, however, he reveals that they may be in Chagi Prison. There is nothing Philip can do, he says.

Philip travels to Pudu Prison, suspecting that Saotome lied to him. He bluffs his way into a meeting with the chief warden. He is told that both men were sent to the labor camps on the Burmese border, where they will build railways. Saotome is the only person who can issue an order to bring them back. Few people return alive from these camps.

As Philip leaves, the warden hints at his sympathies for Philip’s plight. They shake hands. Philip returns home and delivers the bad news to Isabel and his father. Fearing that Isabel may not forgive him, Philip visits Endo. They talk about Saotome’s cruel “predilections” and Philip asks to spend the night in Endo’s house. Endo agrees.

Over the following months, the chaos in Penang settles down. The Japanese are clearly in charge and Philip works with them. Isabel refuses to speak to him and many of the servants ignore him. He feels increasingly isolated, so spends more time at the Japanese headquarters.

Philip trains with Endo and other military staff, but Goro avoids him. Saotome orders that Chinese businessmen must pay a vast sum to show their loyalty to the Emperor. Though he is not required to do so, Noel Hutton insists on contributing. Fujihara orders Goro to find him a piano. Philip is assigned to help. He watches as Goro violently intimidates the people of Penang while trying out their pianos. To Philip’s surprise, the big, brutal Goro is an adept player. In one house, Philip is so afraid that Goro will hurt the owner that he uses the term “uncultured savages,” shocking Goro into following his suggestion to leave. The old man later dies from the wounds Goro inflicted on him, but Fujihara is delighted with the piano.

Isabel refuses to speak to Philip, even when he brings her heavily censored mail from Edward and Peter. Philip again defends his collaboration with the Japanese as the only way to protect the family firm. At a Japanese dinner party, Philip confirms his fears that the tours he gave to Endo helped with the planning of the invasion of Penang. Without Endo, he is told, the invasion may never have been as successful.

Philip receives physical threats due to his collaboration with the Japanese. A dead dog is thrown in front of the family house and set alight. Philip’s father tells him to do something, as he has “no right” to place the entire family’s lives in danger. Philip tries to resign but Hiroshi refuses to accept, threatening to spread rumors that Philip’s actions led to the execution of many local people. Frustrated, Philip goes to Towkay Yeap. He offers to betray the Japanese, forwarding information about their plans to the resistance via Towkay Yeap. In exchange, he wants the threats against his family to stop. Towkay Yeap agrees. He notes that Noel’s insistence on paying the fees demanded by the Japanese makes him a “true son of the island” unlike—he implies—Philip (316).

Next, Philip visits Endo on the island. As he rows the boat, he is struck by a sudden vision. He is taken back to a previous life, in which he is kneeling in a green field. Endo stands above him with a sword, about to execute him for conspiring against the Tokugawa-Shogun. Philip can see his friend’s sadness. He recites a poem and then his head is cut off. Back on the island, Philip feels strange. He confronts Endo, who seems aware of what occurred in their previous life. Endo believes that fate has brought him to Penang and to Philip and that the “time has finally come to redress [their] lives” (319).

In his office, Philip reads a report with the words Sook Ching, an exercise in which “Chinese businessmen and villagers suspected of being members of anti-Japanese groups were to be rounded up and sent to labor camps” (321). Philip recognizes names on the attached list. He passes this information to Towkay Yeap, giving some of the people time to escape. Fujihara suspects that Philip leaked the information; he makes Philip watch the torture of local people as a way to punish him.

A week later, Goro takes Philip to a village in the jungle. Philip recognizes the village as the place where Ming lives with her new husband. Goro and his men brutally treat the villagers and then read out a list of names, including Ming’s husband, Ah Hock. Philip is horrified. The villagers blame him for collaborating with their adversaries. When Ah Hock is about to be taken away, Ming protests. Goro demands that she be taken away as well. Knowing that this will result in Ming’s torture and death, Philip intervenes. He takes Goro’s gun and demands that he release Ming. Reluctantly, Goro accepts. They drive a short distance out of the village, then stop the cars. Goro makes the prisoners dig their own graves and then executes them. Philip is filled with a “simmering rage,” not just against Goro but against Endo as well.

Later, Fujihara wants to punish Philip for intervening against Goro. Endo protects Philip, who says that he must return home. Rather than going home, however, he visits Towkay Yeap and then returns to the village. He arrives at night, meeting Ming’s father-in-law Chua. He tells them what happened to the prisoners and tries to apologize. Chua understands that Philip saved Ming’s life; Uncle Lim will arrive to collect her the following day. He also explains that Goro returned earlier and, with his soldiers, sexually abused Ming. He knows that they will not be disciplined.

Ming demands to know where her husband died. Reluctantly, Philip shows her. The next day, Philip discovers that Ming died by suicide in the grave beside her husband. Philip cannot look Uncle Lim in the eye. He sees his father embrace Uncle Lim and Chua but, when Philip looks his father in the face, he knows that he has “lost him.”

At Philip’s request, Towkay Yeap organizes an attack on Philip so the Japanese will believe that he is still being targeted as a collaborator. Philip is betraying both sides, he feels, but there are so few people who know the truth that everyone hates him. He worries that he has made a “terrible mess” of his situation.

A month later, he goes to meet Towkay Yeap, only to find Kon there instead. He is with a woman named Su Yen. Kon explains that he is working with guerillas from the Malayan Communist Party, who are working with Force 136 against the Japanese. Their group is led by Yong Kwan, a hard and determined fighter. Kon confides in Philip that he and Su Yen are in a sexual relationship, even though she is Yong Kwan’s romantic partner. She is now pregnant and they must terminate the pregnancy. Kon’s main reason for meeting with Philip is to ask for information. He wants to destroy the radar station on Penang Hill, but Philip fears that Japanese reprisals will lead to much pain and suffering if it is destroyed. Kon urges his friend to share the information.

Three days later, the radar station is destroyed. More people in the surrounding villages are tortured and executed; Philip is made to read out their names, knowing that they are blameless. He knows that he has saved many lives, but he also accompanies Goro on the Sook Ching exercises and people blame him for these executions. He is scared and paranoid.

Endo admits that he knows what Fujihara is doing and that he is ashamed, but he feels that he has a duty to follow orders. Feeling helpless and angry, Philip spends an increasing amount of time on Endo’s island. Endo comforts him and confesses that he too is afraid. He gives Philip a letter from Edward, describing how Peter MacAllister died while trying to escape. Edward himself is sick and starving; he does not think he will survive. Philip shares the letter with his family. Isabel reacts angrily and violently. She tells Philip that he “doesn’t belong” in the house any longer. Philip’s father sides with Isabel.

Philip moves to Endo’s island, as no one will rent a room to him. When he visits Aunt Mei’s house, she will not let him inside. He spots Isabel in the darkness, but she does not speak to him. The year is 1945: Philip has known Endo for six years and the Japanese have been in Malaya for four years. He is shocked at how quickly time has passed. He presses Endo again to tell him why he came to Penang. Endo dodges the question again, assuring Philip that he will tell him “when the time is right” (346).

Philip notices an “indefinable” change in the air. News spreads that the war has turned against the Japanese. People become bolder in their resistance, infuriating Fujihara. Fujihara ups his violent oppression, much to the pleasure of Goro. Among the many reports, Philip notes that a group of guerillas named White Tiger are some of the most effective fighters. He believes that this must be Kon’s unit.

Uncle Lim blames Philip for his daughter’s death. He goes to Fujihara, saying that someone in the Hutton house is a collaborator. Fujihara is delighted. He takes Goro and some soldiers to Istana in search of the hidden enemy. He makes Philip attend the raid, while Endo insists on accompanying them. Endo worries that he cannot intervene, as Fujihara’s orders come directly from Saotome. Philip tries to call Towkay Yeap to warn his sister.

The group arrives at Istana with Uncle Lim. The soldiers search through the house, destroying everything. Uncle Lim directs them to the boathouse, where Isabel is found with a radio set—evidence of her collusion with the guerillas. Philip is terrified that Saotome and Fujihara will torture and abuse Isabel. In Isabel’s eyes, he sees a burning hatred for her brother. Endo twice warns her not to escape; Isabel seems to understand his implication. She runs, so Endo shoots her. Isabel dies a quick death in Philip’s arms.

Fujihara is furious that he cannot torture the prisoner. He warns that Saotome will be informed when he arrives in Penang. At the very least, he insists that the body will not be buried properly. Fujihara takes out his frustration on two of Isabel’s contacts, including Aunt Mei. In a cell, the badly-beaten Aunt Mei tells Philip that he must find a way to forgive his sister. Uncle Lim, having gained his revenge, is never seen again. Noel is imprisoned for a week; Philip visits every day, but they never talk until Noel recalls the prophecy that Philip will “bring [them] all to an end” (355).

Saotome arrives in Penang. He speaks about Isabel, reminding Philip that “traitors must never be tolerated” (356). Saotome is in Penang to catch the White Tiger. He briefs the other officers, though he disrespects Hiroshi by asking the sick man to leave the room. Philip is also asked to leave the meeting. He worries that they are planning how to kill Kon, so he wishes he could listen in. He overhears the meeting by standing outside Hiroshi’s office; Hiroshi is listening to the meeting because he has bugged the office with a radio.

Philip seeks out Towkay Yeap but finds the old man has completely succumbed to his opium dependency and has lost much of his influence. He cannot help Kon, but he urges Philip to do so. Philip ponders the issue while working beside Endo, who asks him a vague question about what he might do if his friend was in danger. Philip insists that he would always save his friend. Endo departs, leaving behind a file with information on Saotome’s plans: Saotome has captured Tanaka and plans to use him as bait to lure out Kon.

When Philip wakes the next day, Endo’s house is empty so Philip rows back to Istana. There, he finds his father, deep in thought. Noel says that he will be waiting at the house for his son to return. Together, they remove Noel’s butterfly collection from the smashed cases and sprinkle the dead insects into the water, where they wash away.

Aunt Mei is killed by the Japanese and Philip organizes her cremation. He tells Endo that he is taking the ashes to his grandfather. Endo says that Philip’s travel documents have been amended to allow him to carry a weapon; he presents Philip with the sword, one of a pair, and he has the other. The sword has been polished and oiled. Philip holds up the sword to bid farewell to Endo.