Promise of Rain

Howard Coulter was one of hundreds of Canadian soldiers sent to the Far East following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Surviving the fierce battle for Hong Kong, he became a POW, and is haunted by the memories that he carries with him.

His daughter Ethie was born after he returned from the war. She never knew him as he was before, an open, loving man and a devoted husband. Why, Ethie wonders, is he so silent and withdrawn?

Howard carries more than the physical and mental scars inflicted by his captors. Something happened in Hong Kong, a secret that he has carried for two decades and one which threatens to destroy his family should it ever come to light.

“'The combination of compassion and suspense makes this novel impossible to put down' Globe & Mail.”

Globe & Mail
'A moving novel about a family, love and war' Historical Novels Review. Historical Novels

Donna Milner lives in British Columbia with her husband. Her first novel was the acclaimed After River, which was sold all over the world. The Promise of Rain is her second novel.

'My mother died on the same day as Marilyn Monroe, August 4th 1962.' For young Ethie Coulter the sudden death of her mother in strange circumstances is a shock almost too painful to bear. Her dad was already withdrawn; now he becomes silent, drinking too much and leaving Ethie and her brother Kipper to fend for themselves. Ethie's father was one of two thousand Canadian soldiers sent to the Far East six weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Ethie was born after his return from the war, so she never knew him as the open-hearted, loving man he used to be. Ethie senses that whatever happened to him back then had something to do with her mother's subsequent death. Inquisitive and fearless, she is determined to work her way to the truth and help her father come to terms with his past.

Howard Coulter was one of hundreds of Canadian soldiers sent to the Far East following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Surviving the fierce battle for Hong Kong, he became a POW, and is haunted by the memories that he carries with him. His daughter Ethie was born after he returned from the war. She never knew him as he was before, an open, loving man and a devoted husband. Why, Ethie wonders, is he so silent and withdrawn? Howard carries more than the physical and mental scars inflicted by his captors. Something happened in Hong Kong, a secret that he has carried for two decades and one which threatens to destroy his family should it ever come to light.

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