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The Taste of Rain

The Taste of Rain


 Publication Date: 1 Feb. 2020
Format: Paperback / softback

ISBN 9781459820265

    $ 21.95 $ 21.95 21.95 AUD

    $ 21.95

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    It is 1945, and 13-year-old Gwen has been a prisoner at the Weihsien Internment Camp in northern China for nearly two and a half years.

    Gwen is one of 140 children who were enrolled at a boarding school in Chefoo when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded China. Life in the camp is difficult. There is not enough food or water, and even the children are forced to do hard labor.

    But Miss E., one of their teachers from Chefoo, has come up with an unusual scheme: she will follow the Girl Guide Code, treating Gwen and her friends as if they are part of a Girl Guide troop. Girl Guides promise not only to stay positive in the most challenging situations but also to do good turns, meaning they must be kind to others without any expectation of reward.

    Gwendolyn hopes that when she grows up, she will be as courageous and optimistic as Miss E. But then Gwen learns that Miss E. is not as full of answers as she seems, and she realizes that in order to protect a friend, she will have to do something that could never be considered a good turn.

    Information

    Book Type: Junior High
    Age Group: 11 to 15 years
    Traffic Lights: Green/Amber
    Class Novel: Yes
    Good Reads Rating: 4/5
    Literary Rating: 4/5

    Review

    Inside the Weihsen Internment Camp in Northern China, Miss E has spent the last 2.5 years keeping up the spirits of the 28 girls in her care, by leading them in accord with the Girl Guide code.

    To some degree, Miss E is like a non-magical version of Mary Poppins. She spends her time pepping up the girls, giving them bracing and sage advice and doing all she can to keep them safe and well.

    The children are thrilled when they meet Eric Liddell, aka ‘Jesus in running shoes’, who is also a prisoner in the camp. Mr Liddell is a Scottish missionary who won gold at the 1924 Olympics (immortalised in the movie Chariots of Fire).

    When Gwen overhears Miss E talking to Mr Liddell of her fear that she won’t be able to protect the children, she realises that Miss E has been projecting a confidence she doesn’t always feel. Miss E wants them to see the world the way she wants it to be, not the way it actually is. Gwen is starting to realise that her beloved teacher is not omnipotent, in the way that children grow up and realise their parents are not as infallible as they once believed.

    The Japanese soldiers are harsh and cruel, and life in the camp is difficult for the 1800 prisoners. For the kids, a rat catching competition is about the best it gets. The 15-year-old winner, Matthew, is secretly determined to get out of the camp.

    When one of the soldiers leads Gwen and another girl off into a rarely used part of the camp, she is initially terrified. But his intentions are good—he lifts them up so they can see the beautiful countryside over the walls of the prison, the first time they have seen the outside world for more than two years.

    When Gwen draws a picture in the sand of the world outside the gates, Matthew uses it help plot his escape. His successful escape inspires a deep anger in the Japanese. Having lost ‘face’, they are determined to punish everyone involved—and those who weren’t. When the trail leads them to Miss E, the girls discover that kindness is an incredible gift, but it also has its price …

    A gripping, thought-provoking story inspired by a true story that asks two question: can a positive attitude help us deal with difficult situations? And can cheerfulness sometimes prevent us from seeing the truth?

    The young voice of Gwen, as narrator, talking about the deprivations, challenges, cruelties and kindnesses experienced in the camp has some of the power of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Eric Liddell really was an inmate in the camp, and died there in 1945.

    A worthwhile read that would make a good class novel. There is a very strong theme of kindness that runs through the book (from and towards all kinds of people, including the ‘enemy’). Miss E teaches the girls to be kind and respectful to others, and that kindness comes full circle.

    Favourite quote: Trying to be positive can’t fix everything. Sometimes not looking at the negatives causes problems too. But trying to be positive, trying to keep my chin up … well, I think I’d rather live that way.

    Themes

    war, Japanese internment camp, Girl Guides, deprivation, courage, kindness, respect, self-sacrifice, hope

    Content Notes

    1. Gwen is the daughter of American missionaries. She grapples with feelings of abandonment and anger towards her parents and towards God, for having been left in danger while they went off to minister to others. 2. As you would expect given the setting, there is some violence and death, however it is relevant to the story and not needlessly graphic. 3. The guards are harsh and cruel, including towards the children. In one scene, a boy falls over at roll call onto a sagging electrical cable. There is a smell of burnt meat and his body is left on the ground. Gwen later has nightmares about the dead boy. 4. Some talk of the massacre in Nanking, where two officers had a competition to see who could kill 100 people first, using only a sword (p70). 5. Miss E is given a piglet by Lu (a ‘coolie’). While first they keep it as a pet, hidden in their hut, eventually Miss E is forced to kill it. She needs the meat to try and help keep Eric Liddell alive. Gwen helps her, as she realises that this is a terrible thing Miss E has to do (p136-7).

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