Super Short Summary

Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie is a historical novel set in post-World War II Japan, following Nori Kamiza, the biracial illegitimate daughter of an aristocratic Japanese woman and a Black American soldier. Raised by her strict grandparents and shunned by society for her mixed heritage, Nori forms a complex bond with her half-brother Akira, a violin prodigy, as she navigates identity, family ties, and self-discovery. The novel includes depictions of colorism, racism, physical abuse, sexual assault, and suicide.