Fifty Words for Rain

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of gender discrimination, sexual violence, racism, and child abuse.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What aspects of Nori’s journey from powerless child to ruthless matriarch left the strongest impression on you? How does Lemmie balance the novel’s tragic elements with moments of beauty and connection?

2. Lemmie structures this novel around the relationship between two siblings who orbit each other like celestial bodies. How does this compare to other family sagas you’ve encountered, such as those in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, in which generational trauma shapes family dynamics?

3. The novel spans nearly two decades and multiple countries, yet it maintains an intimate focus on Nori’s inner world. How effective is this approach in conveying both personal growth and historical context?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Which character’s struggle between duty and desire resonated most deeply with you? Have you faced similar conflicts between family expectations and personal happiness in your own life?

2. Nori spends much of her childhood hidden away and later finds solace in gardens and trees. What places or activities have served as your refuge during difficult times?

3. How do you respond to Yuko’s deathbed admission that she has “many” regrets and “none”? Can you think of decisions in your own life where you felt both justified and conflicted about your choices?

4. Nori’s relationship with music changes throughout the novel, from joy to grief to eventual abandonment. How have your own relationships with meaningful activities or passions evolved during different life phases?

5. The novel explores how different characters define family, from blood relations to chosen bonds like Nori and Alice’s friendship. How do you balance loyalty to birth family versus the relationships you’ve chosen?

6. What did you think of Nori’s final decision to become the Kamiza heir and sacrifice her personal relationships for power? Would you have made the same choice in her position?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel’s portrayal of post-World War II Japan illuminate the lasting effects of military occupation on a society’s values and hierarchies? What parallels do you see with other periods of cultural upheaval?

2. Nori faces discrimination both for her birth outside of marriage and her multiracial heritage in 1940s and 1950s Japan. How do the forms of prejudice she encounters compare to contemporary discussions about colorism and multiracial identity?

3. The female characters in the novel navigate different strategies for survival in patriarchal societies, from Yuko’s ruthless ambition to Alice’s conformity to social expectations. Which approach do you think offers the most realistic path to agency for women in restrictive societies?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Lemmie uses the symbolism of Akira as the sun and Nori as rain throughout the novel. How does this metaphor illuminate their relationship dynamics? What does it suggest about their individual characters and their effect on each other?

2. Music serves multiple symbolic functions in the novel, representing happiness, connection, and lost dreams. How does each character’s relationship with music reflect their internal emotional state and life choices?

3. How does Nori’s character transformation from the terrified child in the attic to the calculating heir mirror the novel’s broader themes about power and survival? What specific moments mark the most significant shifts in her development?

4. The novel spans multiple settings, from the claustrophobic Kamiza estate to the brothel to Alice’s London home. How do these different environments shape Nori’s understanding of herself and her place in the world?

5. Yuko emerges as both antagonist and tragic figure, especially in her final scenes with Nori. How does Lemmie complicate our understanding of this character while maintaining the reality of the harm she causes?

6. What role does the motif of gardens and trees play in Nori’s emotional journey? How does the violation of her safe space in Akira’s garden by Will’s assault affect the symbolic meaning of these natural refuges?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine if Nori had chosen to remain in London with Noah and Alice rather than returning to claim her inheritance. How might this alternative path have affected not only her personal happiness but also the future of the Kamiza family legacy?

2. The novel ends with Nori as a powerful but isolated matriarch, having given up love for duty. Design a conversation between adult Nori and her son 20 years later, in which she must explain her choices and their family’s complex history.

3. Rewrite the scene where Yuko first meets baby Nori from Yuko’s perspective. What internal conflicts and calculations might she experience when confronted with her granddaughter’s multiracial heritage, and how do these emotions shape her subsequent treatment of the child?

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