Rain Fall by Barry Eisler

First published in 2002

Some readers like a novel only if they admire its characters. Others like a novel only if the protagonist is morally pure or at least achieves redemption by the novel's end. Those readers should bypass Rain Fall. I'm not one of those readers. I recommend Rain Fall to thriller fans who enjoy a strong plot, interesting characters, and fast moving action.

I disagree with the Amazon reviewer who wrote that John Rain is "a heartless thug that enjoys killing people for no reason." I found no evidence in the novel to support that claim. Rain is a professional killer, remorseless to be sure, but nothing in the text suggests his enjoyment of killing. His nightmarish memories of his service in Vietnam imply otherwise. He doesn't kill for "no reason"; he kills for money or to protect himself. And he certainly isn't heartless, given that the plot revolves around Rain's desire to protect a woman from harm despite his fear that helping her will compromise his anonymity. (Of course, I also disagree with the reviewer who argued that a reader must "have testosterone induced dementia, & an anti-social personality disorder laced with narcissistic traits" to enjoy the novel. With all due respect, it's possible for a well-balanced reader to enjoy escapist fiction even if the reader wouldn't want to have lunch with the protagonist.)

Barry Eisler's writing style is far from Shakespearean, but he's a capable writer. He crafts an intriguing, fast moving story, and creates a strong sense of place as he transports the reader to a vibrant, lively Tokyo. John Rain is a complex, multi-dimensional character. Still, the novel isn't without its problems: a tussle between Rain and the main female character turns into sex (trite); Rain is haunted by his service as a clandestine warrior in Vietnam (trite); Rain's helper conveniently has extraordinary computer hacking skills (way trite); Rain is up against a misbehaving CIA agent (trite but always a welcome addition to a thriller). Part of Rain's backstory seems like it was lifted from Apocalypse Now, although another part gives an interesting twist to a familiar episode from the Vietnam War. My knock on the novel, then, is that too much of it is familiar, unimaginative, reminiscent of stories we've seen or heard before. The theme of corruption in Japan, however, was fresh and fascinating.

On the whole, Rain Fall isn't a bad effort for a first novel. It's easy, fun, rainy afternoon reading.

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