Fifty Words for Rain is the stunning, emotional coming-of-age story of Nori, the child of a Japanese aristocrat and a Black American soldier. We meet her in Kyoto, Japan in 1948 when she is abandoned by her mother. Her grandparents take her in only to hide her in the attic, ashamed that she is illegitimate and of mixed race. 

Nori has my whole heart. Plain and simple. I love that this spans decades so I could watch her grow up, even though my heart was torn to pieces in the process. There is suffering, isolation, betrayal and a yearning to be accepted. But there is also a resilient, brave girl who emerges. And an unlikely but beautiful bond with a half-brother she eventually learns of and meets. The relationship between the two siblings was easily my favorite component of the book.

This is Asha Lemmie’s debut novel. 🤯❤️ Sign me up for whatever she she puts out next. It's an auto buy. As a matter of fact, I'll pre-order.