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Fall Like Rain
Masters student Sophy Seng is looking for a good resume builder, so she takes an internship in her parents' birth country of Cambodia in Southeast Asia. As she assimilates to this exotic land and its people, she's confronted with the true story of a young Cambodian girl. It's a story she cannot ignore; a story that changes her way of thinking. A story of one young woman's journey from fear to freedom.Born in the early 1980s to survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide, Kunthea can't figure out exactly what happened and why no one will talk about it. Surrounded by a family still shell-shocked by the horror, she's determined to make sense of life, all while struggling merely to survive. When Sophy discovers Kunthea's lost diary, the puzzle of the Cambodian girl's life comes together piece by piece, drawing Sophy deeper into her world. Confronted with questions she'd never considered asking, Sophy gets much more than she'd bargained for in this six-month internship. Based on a true story, Fall like Rain is a revealing of the dark realities of poverty; of belief systems rooted in lies, and the ultimate power of truth to stamp out the darkness.
238 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2020
5 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 22, 2020
Great historical novel about Cambodia after the Pol Pot generation, told through a mysterious found diary. The culture of Cambodia is itself a major character of the book. The storyline is gripping and well written.
April 3, 2021
True story, masked to maintain confidentiality, which encouraged my heart that the Lord SEES and INTERVENES supernaturally.
October 9, 2022
I enjoyed this story because it gives good insight into the modern day NGO community in Cambodia, specifically the questions and "journeys" all of us NGO workers (yes, I'm one of them), typically encounter and try to process as we do our work in the country.
I can tell that author knows this community--and Phnom Penh--pretty well, and I loved the little details she includes in the book that add a sense of realism and authenticity, such as Sophy going to the Blue Pumpkin on the riverside after her run. Another example: "The cruise boat drivers were calling out for customers as tourists wearing elephant pants from the market strolled by with their cameras." (Haha. That's so true.) Anyway, I know those are minor details, but I enjoyed these types of observations throughout the book because I could relate to them.
"Just because we had to quit school doesn't mean that we are not smart."
- Kunthea
"It is more complicated than I thought before. There are a lot of NGOs here, doing development work, but I wonder about what is actually effective."
-Jessica, Sophy's friend
"Sophy silently wondered what it could mean to "understand that you can grow and learn" versus actually believing it, when everything in your life says otherwise and has since you were born.
"Maybe you and she are defining "better" differently."
- Phearun, Sophy's friend
I can tell that author knows this community--and Phnom Penh--pretty well, and I loved the little details she includes in the book that add a sense of realism and authenticity, such as Sophy going to the Blue Pumpkin on the riverside after her run. Another example: "The cruise boat drivers were calling out for customers as tourists wearing elephant pants from the market strolled by with their cameras." (Haha. That's so true.) Anyway, I know those are minor details, but I enjoyed these types of observations throughout the book because I could relate to them.
"Just because we had to quit school doesn't mean that we are not smart."
- Kunthea
"It is more complicated than I thought before. There are a lot of NGOs here, doing development work, but I wonder about what is actually effective."
-Jessica, Sophy's friend
"Sophy silently wondered what it could mean to "understand that you can grow and learn" versus actually believing it, when everything in your life says otherwise and has since you were born.
"Maybe you and she are defining "better" differently."
- Phearun, Sophy's friend
November 7, 2023
My husband, Soeun, has been telling us stories from his childhood recently. Cambodia was such a different place in the 70s and 80s.
"My children's childhood overseas is so different to my own." Its a common thought for the expat parent.
But I also often think "My children's childhood is more like my own in Australia, than my husband's. Even though they are growing up in Cambodia as he did."
Its hard to find any stories (English novels/memoirs) from the 1980s Cambodia wasn't open. But I finally found the book I’ve been looking for: Fall Like Rain by Nell Corbly.
Set in present day Cambodia with flashbacks to the 80s and 90s, it is much like our family conversations.
It was fun to read a book that reflects my experience. It uses a compelling story to show lots of things that we attempt to write in newsletters. Much of life in Cambodia I can't explain clearly/safely and in such an engaging way.
"My children's childhood overseas is so different to my own." Its a common thought for the expat parent.
But I also often think "My children's childhood is more like my own in Australia, than my husband's. Even though they are growing up in Cambodia as he did."
Its hard to find any stories (English novels/memoirs) from the 1980s Cambodia wasn't open. But I finally found the book I’ve been looking for: Fall Like Rain by Nell Corbly.
Set in present day Cambodia with flashbacks to the 80s and 90s, it is much like our family conversations.
It was fun to read a book that reflects my experience. It uses a compelling story to show lots of things that we attempt to write in newsletters. Much of life in Cambodia I can't explain clearly/safely and in such an engaging way.
June 28, 2020
Powerful tale of hope amidst darkness
Fall Like Rain is the story of Sophie, a Cambodian-American girl, who travels to Cambodia for an internship with an organization fighting human trafficking. The story revolves around a diary she finds and has translated, revealing the life of a young girl named Kunthea from the time she was five years old into her twenties. Sophie and the translators seek to use clues from the diary to find Kunthea so they can return it to her. Along the way Sophie discovers life-changing truth about her heritage she never dreamed of.
Fall Like Rain is the story of Sophie, a Cambodian-American girl, who travels to Cambodia for an internship with an organization fighting human trafficking. The story revolves around a diary she finds and has translated, revealing the life of a young girl named Kunthea from the time she was five years old into her twenties. Sophie and the translators seek to use clues from the diary to find Kunthea so they can return it to her. Along the way Sophie discovers life-changing truth about her heritage she never dreamed of.
March 8, 2021
Fall Like Rain is a powerful and beautifully written story that immerses the reader in both the hardships and beauty of Cambodia. I found myself stopping to pray for Cambodia at multiple different points throughout reading. This compelling story shows the necessity of the gospel in order to have victory over the forces that are currently at work in this world and to restore hope. I recommend this to anyone interested in seeing how the gospel intersects with real hardships and how it offers lasting hope to all people, regardless of cultural background!
November 12, 2020
A very interesting story about a Cambodian-American female who is working on her Master's Degree and goes to Cambodia for an internship. The story is creatively woven between her current life and the discovery of someone's journal. As you read, you see the main character gain a new perspective and develop compassion and understanding for others.
January 26, 2020
Couldn’t put it down!
This book tells an incredible story - a story of fear, pain, and suffering, but then also of hope and joy. What an insightful journey, told through the eyes of a narrator whose processing helps you do the same.
This book tells an incredible story - a story of fear, pain, and suffering, but then also of hope and joy. What an insightful journey, told through the eyes of a narrator whose processing helps you do the same.
June 14, 2020
Such an incredible story. So moving and filled me with a desire to be better and stronger. I was touched by the resilience of the people in this story and the love and courage they had. I want to read it again!
November 2, 2023
The characters and setting for this story were very realistic and engaging. It was eye-opening to the way of life in Cambodia, and also depicted the culture with a lot of respect and informative history. This book gave a lot of insight into what Cambodians have gone through and the struggles they face, but also the resilience of the human spirit and the ways God works to reach people. I liked the creativity of the plot, and this book serves as a good reminder to the ways God works in people's lives.
April 12, 2020
I was drawn in to Kunthea’s life through reading excerpts from her diary. Her story is one that needs to be told.
September 18, 2020
Loved it. Short read and easy to read. I currently live in Cambodia which made everything in the book more relevant and more real. Great story. Loved it
May 21, 2021
Beautifully written! Could not put this book down!
August 26, 2020
I loved this book! Told in the form of a story but well-grounded in reality, Fall Like Rain by Nell Corbly is a potent window into Khmer culture over the decades since the Khmer Rouge genocide. It gets 4/5 stars from me—an "I really liked it" on Goodreads.
The circumstances depicted in Fall Like Rain are sobering and heart-wrenching—all the more because they're based on real people and events. I've come to realize I'm a sucker for such books. Anyone else? They open my eyes to the injustices of a world that flounders on under the weight of sin. They make me want to sit with people and hear their stories—not because I can fix things, but because I may be able to hold a small part of the burden with them and perhaps show them the sufficiency of Christ. This book fed that part of my heart.
In terms of the quality of the story and the prose, the protagonist's objective (returning a lady's diaries) isn't intrinsically grand or exciting, and the stakes—should the objective fail—aren't high. This is certainly a character-driven story as opposed to a plot-driven story, and whether or not it captivates you from cover to cover will depend on how much you empathize with characters Sophy and Kunthea. Another downside is that the frequent use of adverbs in this book—such as "pretty," "super," and "very"—gave it an amateur feel.
All in all, Fall Like Rain was a great, 4-star book. I recommend it to anyone who has fallen in love with Cambodia or to fellow suckers for real-life tragedy.
The circumstances depicted in Fall Like Rain are sobering and heart-wrenching—all the more because they're based on real people and events. I've come to realize I'm a sucker for such books. Anyone else? They open my eyes to the injustices of a world that flounders on under the weight of sin. They make me want to sit with people and hear their stories—not because I can fix things, but because I may be able to hold a small part of the burden with them and perhaps show them the sufficiency of Christ. This book fed that part of my heart.
In terms of the quality of the story and the prose, the protagonist's objective (returning a lady's diaries) isn't intrinsically grand or exciting, and the stakes—should the objective fail—aren't high. This is certainly a character-driven story as opposed to a plot-driven story, and whether or not it captivates you from cover to cover will depend on how much you empathize with characters Sophy and Kunthea. Another downside is that the frequent use of adverbs in this book—such as "pretty," "super," and "very"—gave it an amateur feel.
All in all, Fall Like Rain was a great, 4-star book. I recommend it to anyone who has fallen in love with Cambodia or to fellow suckers for real-life tragedy.
May 27, 2020
An unusual story premise full of heart! I recommend this read for a window into the world of (suffering in) Cambodia. In the middle of ruination, hope comes to cast out all oppression, fear and darkness. Rain falls on the just and the unjust. The Light of the World shines forth truth through His merciful transformative work. This is definitely a powerful, humbling, hopeful story captured in a little book. Definitely a must read!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews