East Wind, Rain

By Caroline Paul

Book Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Gutsy Girl comes this provocative, compelling novel of irrevocable consequences for people thrust unwittingly into a devastating war of nations and American identity--based on a little-known true event. December 1941. The inhabitants of Niihau lead a simple life. Mostly Hawaiian natives, they work the ranch of Niihau's eccentric haole owner, who keeps his island totally isolated from the outside world, devoid of cars, phones, and electricity. But then a plane crash-lands there, and although the villagers rescue the pilot, they have no idea that he has just attacked Pearl Harbor. War has now come to Eden, slowly undoing its tranquillity, widening the cracks in the already troubled marriage of Irene and Yoshio Harada, the island's only Japanese-American couple. It will test everyone's loyalties and all they believe in . . . as Paradise, once within reach, slowly falls victim to its own isolated innocence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060780762
• ISBN13: 9780060780760
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A debut novel well worth reading

Paul has written a rich book with a deceptively simple style and plot line. While exploring the intrusion of an outsider on a closed society, the book delves into topics such as racism, technology, paternalism, marital relations, modernity, and tragedy in the classical sense. Because of its richness, East Wind, Rain would make a fine book to incorporate into a high school curriculum; the novel might pair nicely with works such as The Lord of the Flies. The book would also spark great discussions in adult book clubs.

sensational

i don't often read historical fiction, but i thoroughly enjoyed the experience of "east wind rain." in addition to beautifully detailed scenes of a place that i never before imagined, it has a truly singular cadence that carried me easily through its final, gripping, conclusion. afterward, i realized how sorry i was to part with the story and its characters.

You have GOT to read this book!

This book is in a league with MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. Really. And if you loved those books, you'll love this one. An exquisite love story, a wonderfully-evoked sense of place, and the backdrop of history--they all unfold, gracefully and vividly, with a style you'll want to savor. Paul has taken a true story, that of a crash-landed Japanese aviator on an obscure Hawaiian island on December 7, 1941, and wrought a work of fiction that nevertheless remains consistently real. The characters of Irene and Yoshio, the island's sole Japanese inhabitants, torn between wavering loyalties and obligations, are the emotional heart of the book, but one also meets many memorable characters: A boy named Little Preacher. Alymer Robinson, the outright owner of the island, who has his reasons for keeping the islanders out of the mainstream of 20th Century society. And Nishikaichi, the downed Zero pilot at the center of it all. But the most enthralling character is the island of Ni'ihau itself: a place out of time, which gives EAST WIND, RAIN a timeless air. Highly recommended, particularly for readers in book groups. This is one to read, discuss, and enjoy.

poignant scenes, unique imagery

This is a fabulous idea for a story: a real event, buried in the history of the WW II attack on Pearl Harbor, involving an island and a people that have long been hidden from the rest of the world. Paul's treatment of this event scores on several counts: First, the language is wonderfully evocative, full of powerful descriptions, and entirely void of cliches. Second, her account sheds new light on the genesis of the U.S. policy of Japanese internment -- for it was here that the concept, or its approach, first hatched. And third, she does what every novelist hopes to achieve. She makes you wonder about how individual people really dealt with a huge event. All of which makes the book a true pleasure.

Steamy, lyrical yarn from long-ago Hawaii

This is a story set in a magical, distant place -- a small, private island in Hawaii where slow, predictable lives are wrenched one day by the crash of a Japanese Zero and its pilot during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The arrival of this warrior from Japan in this isolated place sets in motion a beautifully written tale of love and loyalty, written by a woman who is in love with words and can wonderfully weave in emotions, breathtaking scenery, history, and action. Absorb yourself in the world Paul has created...!