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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At times quite a challenging read, this novel told the story of WWII from the point of view of the people of Malaya, as British rule was overthrown and the locals had to learn to live under the Japanese.
With a dual timeline we see how regular housewife Cecily became a spy for the Japanese, falling in love with the Japanese general who groomed her.
Her teenage son is kidnapped and taken to work as a prisoner on the Burma railway; her oldest daughter serves the Japanese in a tea room; the family tries hard to protect the younger daughter by dressing her as a boy and hiding her away for hours at a time in the basement, so keeping her away from work in a "comfort station", or brothel full of child prostitutes.
I didn't find the characters as well-rounded as I would have liked, but the descriptions were vivid and the history distressing.
A writer to watch, I think
With a dual timeline we see how regular housewife Cecily became a spy for the Japanese, falling in love with the Japanese general who groomed her.
Her teenage son is kidnapped and taken to work as a prisoner on the Burma railway; her oldest daughter serves the Japanese in a tea room; the family tries hard to protect the younger daughter by dressing her as a boy and hiding her away for hours at a time in the basement, so keeping her away from work in a "comfort station", or brothel full of child prostitutes.
I didn't find the characters as well-rounded as I would have liked, but the descriptions were vivid and the history distressing.
A writer to watch, I think
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Torture
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had high expectations for this book based on the initial praise it received and its short summary. However, I was left feeling unfulfilled.
The Storm We Made is less literary historical fiction and more brutal history lesson on colonial violence rife with scenes of horrific abuse.
The Storm We Made is less literary historical fiction and more brutal history lesson on colonial violence rife with scenes of horrific abuse.
I was hoping for more complexity in the character development and the thought process informing characters’ choices. Instead, the rotating multiple perspectives gave us a handful of POVs (broadening the narrative) but sacrificed a deeper interior perspective of Cecily. The result was a flattened narrative that focused more on making sure the reader felt secondhand shock and horror without any invitation to grapple with it firsthand.
The author does a lot of telling the reader how to feel rather than showing and letting the reader develop their own emotional responses and analysis.
Characters are described as if through the eyes of a colonizer, and there is an underlying judgmental implication in how they are portrayed and described that was off putting to me.
The author does a lot of telling the reader how to feel rather than showing and letting the reader develop their own emotional responses and analysis.
Characters are described as if through the eyes of a colonizer, and there is an underlying judgmental implication in how they are portrayed and described that was off putting to me.
sad
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loveable characters? Definitely not, but my what a harrowing debut.
Thank you so much to BookClubFavorites for the copy of the book!
I wish I would have paired my book with the audio because then I think I would have appreciated it more. There was just a lot going on - important and very horrific things happening within the book and I think some of it got lost in the audio. I also think this could have been a me issue as I had to keep stopping and going while listening. Within the chapters I could follow along but as a whole I was forgetting what had previously happened and how they all connected.
I would recommend reading the book with the audio or just go with the book if you are deciding to read this.
I wish I would have paired my book with the audio because then I think I would have appreciated it more. There was just a lot going on - important and very horrific things happening within the book and I think some of it got lost in the audio. I also think this could have been a me issue as I had to keep stopping and going while listening. Within the chapters I could follow along but as a whole I was forgetting what had previously happened and how they all connected.
I would recommend reading the book with the audio or just go with the book if you are deciding to read this.
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
what a beautifully written, heart-wrenching debut novel!! I found myself in disbelief that this was vanessa chan’s first novel because the writing style was so prose-like it had me enraptured!!
centered around a malaysian family during the japanese occupation in WWII, this novel is not for the faint of heart. it was full of grief, sadness, deception, and terror from start to finish - and I have to say that the ride was so heartbreaking I can’t wait to go through it all over again (the sign of a good book, me thinks) 😭
the characterization definitely could have been a bit deeper on some of the characters, as there’s 5 different POVs and it’s hard when you just start to connect with a character before it shifts to another. however, each POV was so different yet still traumatic from one another - I just wanted so much more!!
what I love most about historical fiction is learning about eras and time periods that I embarrassingly have a lack of knowledge of - and I am quite embarrassed to say that I knew next to nothing about malaysia during WWII. and now, especially after reading the extensive author’s note, I can’t believe this isn’t included in most education (although these days, I shouldn’t be surprised about the lack of historical education) 🙃
all of this to say that I cannot believe this is a debut novel, and I’m anxiously awaiting vanessa’s next novel!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: south africa pinotage
centered around a malaysian family during the japanese occupation in WWII, this novel is not for the faint of heart. it was full of grief, sadness, deception, and terror from start to finish - and I have to say that the ride was so heartbreaking I can’t wait to go through it all over again (the sign of a good book, me thinks) 😭
the characterization definitely could have been a bit deeper on some of the characters, as there’s 5 different POVs and it’s hard when you just start to connect with a character before it shifts to another. however, each POV was so different yet still traumatic from one another - I just wanted so much more!!
what I love most about historical fiction is learning about eras and time periods that I embarrassingly have a lack of knowledge of - and I am quite embarrassed to say that I knew next to nothing about malaysia during WWII. and now, especially after reading the extensive author’s note, I can’t believe this isn’t included in most education (although these days, I shouldn’t be surprised about the lack of historical education) 🙃
all of this to say that I cannot believe this is a debut novel, and I’m anxiously awaiting vanessa’s next novel!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: south africa pinotage