I loved Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and this book is an example why. I thought the setting was compelling and not somewhere I often read about. Additionally, Nori was such a great character. I loved reading about the family relationships and what it was like for her to be an outsider. The pacing was very good for most of the story.

This was definitely a unique book. But I didn't resonate with me the way that I had hoped that it would and I cannot put my finger on what it was that I did not like about it

What a stunning debut novel. I really could not put this one down and was turning the pages deep into the night. A story of family, what it means to belong, survival, and hope!

Difficulty of Being a Mixed Race Child in Japan Post WWII

Nori is eight-years-old when her mother leaves her with her aristocratic grandparents on their estate. She tries to be a good girl and act as her mother instructed her. In spite of the abuse including chemical baths to try to change the color of her skin, she is an obedient child.

Being the daughter of a married aristocrat and her black GI lover, Nori is an embarrassment to her grandparents. She is forced to live alone in the attic and has no tenderness until her half-brother, Akira, arrives at the estate. He is the heir and surprisingly, he and Nori become friends and very important to each other.

This is a novel with some very good parts and some that distracted from the overall book. The story line follows the problems of Nori being not only a mixed race child, but also illegitimate. The early parts of the book where Nori is constantly subjected to abuse were harg to read. In fact, I thought the abuse was rather overdone.

The story lightens when Akira arrives. He befriends Nori, gets her out of the attic and gives her a view of the outside world. It was a delightful picture of friendship. The difference between how the children get along and love each other is in direct contrast to the unyielding disapproval of the grandparents. They feel their whole way of life has been betrayed by having a child like Nori and their desire is to erase the stigma.

While I enjoyed parts of the book, I found the writing a bit simple. The characters could have been more well developed. The dialog often felt stilted. I thought the author was trying for a romantic look at the manners of a slice of civilization much the same way Jane Austen did for the Victorians, however, it wasn’t as effective.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

Book 837: Fifty Words for Rain – Asha Lemmie

I feel hollow after finishing this book—I’m not sure emotionally drained is the right word because I feel like I have so many emotions going on that they’ve just forced each other out and there’s just nothing. And when you take in that this is a debut novel, damn.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it’s been on my radar since the publisher reached out last year when it was first published but I didn’t get to it until the paperback was recently released.* I really should’ve prioritized it from back then because I feel like Dutton never steers me wrong looking at the books I’ve read from them.

Fifty Words for Rain covers roughly twenty years of the protagonist, Noriko’s life—and they are trying years. I spent most of the novel in awe of Nori’s strength and resilience in the face of everything she faced. It helps that 90% of the novel is told from her perspective, and the few times it’s not it’s because she’s incapacitated for some reason.

As much as the story was about Noriko and her half-brother Akira’s relationship, especially the battle against their grandmother, it really was Nori’s story. We grew up with Nori as she went from being abandoned by her mother to being sold into prostitution, to losing her brother (still pissed about how that happened when it was revealed, but not at all surprised), fleeing her homeland and being tricked back by the afore mentioned evil grandmother.

Lemmie’s writing was stunningly beautiful especially when it came to her descriptions:

She would curl herself onto the couch and listen to him making paintings out of sound. And each piece was a different picture. In her mind’s eye, she could see a garden full of trees with white leaves and a fountain with blush-pink petals floating in the clear water—that was a concerto. The volta: scarlet and plum-colored ribbons winding around each other, battling for dominance. A requiem . . . a lone horse walking down a dimly lit cobbled road, looking for a rider that died long ago. From these dead white men whose names she was slowly growing accustomed to, Nori was learning what it was to live a thousand lifetimes of joy and sorrow without ever leaving the house. (Chapter 4)

I mean that’s pretty early on in the book and Lemmie’s writing from Nori’s perspective matures as she does so you can only imagine how much more beautiful the latter descriptions are. I will say though, that if I was disappointed in one thing (and maybe it’s included in the published version), it was that all fifty words for rain weren’t listed somewhere! There were definitely at least ten mentioned throughout the book, but not all of them.

Aside from the beautiful descriptions that fill the novel there are definitely scenes that force the reader out of their comfort zone including abuse (emotional and physical) and rape. However, every single scene served a purpose and added to Nori’s reservoir of strength and none of them were included gratuitously

If there’s one part of the book that I’m not happy with, it’s the ending. Don’t get me wrong it was basically perfect, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. When the time came, I knew Nori’s decision (even if I didn’t agree with it) even though I crossed every finger and toe that Lemmie was going to go the opposite direction, but Nori—like Austen’s Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel—was a product of her up-bringing. And even though she has every intention of honoring Akira’s plans and changing the future of their family (with a small start in the nursery) she was made for this role and because she was a survivor with immeasurable steal and grace there was only one way the book could end. I was just glad Lemmie didn’t include an epilogue.

Recommendation: This was a stunningly beautiful debut novel where you can spend hours luxuriating in Lemmie’s descriptions and characters. As the novel drew to a close, I was resigned to what was going to happen. I couldn’t be happy or even satisfied with the ending, it was inevitable, but how beautifully Lemmie wrote it and the one shining glimpse of change/hope you get at the end will stay with me and I’m sure it will become more powerful the further I get away from the book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book!

There is so much about this book that could have gone fantastically brilliant which fell too short for me to be one. I like the imaginative way the author portrays her characters and settings, the way she laid out a writing that seems to draw you in; however, I think the glue that holds everything together is flimsy at best. The beginning of the story is too confusing in an era perspective and it can give off a different vibe than what you'd expect. Moreover, I think that there are too much in this book that jumps off of what we as readers can believe in. It's whimsy placed on top of serious topic. Rather odd to say the least.

Fifty Words for Rain had a lot going for it. It was interesting to read about how Japanese culture was evolving in 1948. Nori was a complex, intelligent character, and her resilience in the face of adversity was inspiring. This coming-of-age novel about a young woman’s quest for acceptance in post–World War II Japan was lyrically written… but it was too depressing, too tragic, too culturally inauthentic, and the ending was a deal-breaker. 3.5 stars

A unique perspective in historical fiction, though the voice here didn't quite click for me. Possibly one to revisit in the future!

Never made it past the first two pages. It was just blah. It's not for me. I couldn't even start it! I think I get overly excited about new books and think I can read them all. That's I'll love them all. That's not the case. I just can't get past the first chapter in so many of them.

I absolutely loved this book! I went into it not really knowing the emotional journey I was going to go on with Nori. I felt sadness, anger, hope and happiness with her throughout her story. Nori never gave up despite the life and family that she was born into. She also never let her fire die, which I loved about her.

Nori's mother drops her off at her affluent grandmother's home when she is a Young child. Her grandmother looks down on her because she is a bastard child and she treats her with hatred and abuse. Throughout all Nori survives and finds her voice, especially when she meets her older brother, who protects her in the midst of her horrible circumstances. Tragedy follows tragedy for Nori and she moves from place to place trying to find a place where she feels at home and at peace with herself. As circumstances change, Nori must decide who she is and the identity she wants to assume for herself.
The story is well-written and the reader develops a great compassion and sympathy for this child who is left bereft because of the cruelties of her grandmother and the world in general.
I was surprised by the ending and Nori's ultimate decision about who she chose to become.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction.

The beautiful writing certainly shines through in this debut novel. So many themes were explored in the life of a mixed-race girl in Japan who encountered such loss and prejudice throughout her life. Yet, her indomitable spirit kept her going. One slight issue for me was that some characters, especially Nori's grandmother, seemed to be too one-dimensional and too abhorrent. I look forward to Lemmie's next book.

This book was very interesting. I picked it up because it covers a piece of history in WWII that often gets forgotten or neglected in the stories told. In that sense, Lemmie met my expectations though there were a few moments where she seemed to take some license with history. It wasn't enough to bother me but it did jerk me out of the narrative a bit. Her characters are very well thought out and elegantly written. This book wasn't really for me but I know many other people who come to our store who would love it.

Fifty Words for Rain shines in its ability to immerse the reader in the thoughts and emotions of Nori from childhood to adulthood. Asha Lemmie's writing is beautiful and compelling, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. However, I felt like there was a lack of depth to the book because of the two periods of Nori's life that are skipped over. I wondered about Nori's time in the okiya, her first time building relationships on her own, and being free of her grandparents. It was confusing to not see growth or reflection in Nori after these periods of her life. Outside of Nori, I wanted more depth from the other characters, like Akiko and Alice. Although this book ended up being somewhat of a miss for me, I would read another novel by Lemmie.

Fifty Words For Rain
By Asha Lemmie

This is a debut novel? Wow this is amazing and I loved it! This was such an emotional story about a biracial child named Noriko "Nori" Kamiza (Half black and half Japanese) who has experienced harrowing heart-breaking conditions when her mother leaves her to her very traditional grand parents.

This story about her resiliency as she lives a life surrounded by people and culture that is set against her. Through it all Asha Lemmie delivered a gut punching and wonderful debut cultural historical fiction novel about race, culture, family, love and resiliency.

I enjoyed reading this and I highly recommend for historical fiction fans.

I am astounded that Asha Lemmie wrote this book between the ages of 16 and 22. Bravo! I don't have a musical bone in my body, but I think music-lovers would especially appreciate this book. There were musical parts that brought me to tears. Overall I enjoyed this story and appreciated reading about a biracial girl in post-WWII Japan: a perspective I haven't read in fiction before.

Heartbreaking story, written beautifully. This would make for great book club discussions. Usually a mention of WWII in the description will make me pass on a book these days (overdone) but in this story it is more of a tangential detail. This is a story about duty, tradition, family, culture, and strength.

This was my first time hearing of this author and I was intriqued by the description of this novel. This novel was intense, it was thought-provoking, and invoked a multitude of emotions. It made me think of the deep dynamics of family. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and have recommended it to several fellow readers.

With her first novel, Asha Lemmie proves herself a talented writer unafraid to take chances. Her heroine’s situation is unique, and her journey to adulthood is one that won’t leave the mind quickly. Noriko “Nori” Kamiza is only eight when her beautiful mother brings her to her family home in Kyoto in 1948 and abandons her at the gates, making her promise to obey and keep silent. We soon learn why: Nori is illegitimate, the product of her aristocratic mother’s affair with a Black American GI, and her appearance and very existence are a deep source of shame.

For two years, Nori remains isolated in the mansion’s attic, cared for by her stern grandmother’s maid and educated well, but she’s subject to regular beatings and attempts to bleach her almond-colored skin. Her life changes when her teenage half-brother Akira arrives at the house to live after his father’s death. The dynamic that forms between them – the beloved heir and the accursed bastard – is mesmerizing. After being hidden away for so long, Nori is hungry for attention but afraid to misstep. She worships Akira for easing her restrictions and standing up for her, which nobody has done before. For his part, Akira clearly cares for his little sister, but he’s a brilliant violinist with plans of his own; she isn’t his entire world, like he is hers.

This is literary fiction with many quotable lines and a cinematic, fast-moving plot. Nori’s path to maturity is unorthodox and beset by dramatic, often shocking shifts in circumstance. Nori is bright, curious, and – understandably – not in good control of her emotions. Readers may struggle with some of her choices. They also won’t fail to empathize with her as she learns self-acceptance, overcomes prejudice, and emerges as a powerful force of her own.

(from the Historical Novels Review, November 2020)

I loved the way this book carried me away to the world of Nori even though parts of her life were difficult to read. I was mesmerized by the authors depiction of her life and feelings although I am not sure I fully agree with the ending!