Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

27 reviews

emziesreads's review against another edition

informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Within this book, there is an important story to tell. However, I found the execution failed to sustain my interest in the characters and their experiences in Japanese occupied Malaya. While they were supposed to be a family, the perspectives of each family member felt like an individual story. While we know the cruelty of the Japanese occupation,  this seemed to serve as shock value in the book. An ok read that just wasn't for me but maybe for those who are fans of easily digestible romances set during world war 2.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Vomit, War, and Rape

isahart7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Kidnapping, Violence, Colonisation, War, Trafficking, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

scifi_rat's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Religious bigotry, Torture, Abandonment, and Excrement

charrrchar's review

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and War

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual violence

khcdvm09's review

sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Physical abuse

bowbeforeloki's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was so emotionally driven.  I couldn't put it down but it broke my heart

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gore, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Genocide, Child death, Colonisation, Addiction, Classism, Mental illness, Racism, Trafficking, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Medical content, Rape, War, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

karlzlee's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, War, and Sexual violence

mariyakeeka's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a historical fiction novel set in colonized Malaya with a dual timeline (under British colonial rule and Japanese colonial rule). It follows the mom, Cecily, and how her actions had monumental consequences even though she herself was an inconsequential person. This is shown through alternating perspectives between herself and her three children and how each child faces tremendous challenges because of the societal changes and settings that Cecily's actions brought upon. Guilt is a major theme of this novel because Cecily cannot say that she was unwitting, she simply did not question as much as she should. 

This book is meant to be slow. It's meant to linger on pain and suffering and really give us the time and space to examine all the ways in which we can hurt. The prose is stunning and, for the most part, it didn't feel unnecessary. It was well used and so evocative. Thematically, it addresses guilt, family, power dynamics, greed, morality and what it means to exist as a woman. I enjoyed the discussion of good and bad and how these are ultimately subjective terms.

There was a point at the end,

where I had wished we'd had a deeper insight into Abel's thoughts and feelings upon returning.

But ultimately, this is a book I can easily recommend once you've checked the content warnings.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Trafficking, Alcoholism, Child death, Colonisation, and Grief

maybak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I listened to the audiobook version of The Storm We Made written by Vanessa Chan and skillfully narrated by Samatha Tan.

The story follows the lives of the Alcantara family between 1935 and 1945, first in British-occupied Malaya (current Malaysia) then under the violent Japanese occupation.

The Alcantaras are Eurasians. Gordon, the husband, works a low-level clerical job for the British occupation government. He is married to Cecily, a housewife who yearns for more. They have three children: Jujube, Abel and Jasmine. They move up the social ladder as Gordon’s career slowly rises. Cecily meets one man, General Fujiwara aka Bing Lee Chan, with whom she shares the ideal of building a new Asia for Asians.

Cecily spies on the British on behalf of the Japanese general. The intel she provides will cause a devastating ripple effect in the lives of her family members.

I learned things about what life was like in occupied Malaya under British and Japanese occupations. I loved how developed the characters were. The story is told through the lens of Cecily, Abel, Jujube and Jasmine. The novel takes you deep into the consequences of Cecily’s actions on her family and community. 

I like how author Vanessa Chan incorporated the topics of colonisation, occupation, colorism, race and identity, self-determination, survival, selfishness, the condition of women into her story. She touches on important themes with mastery. I thought her characters were well developed, complex, flawed, with clear fears and motivations.

The audiobook narrator, Samantha Tan, was brilliant. I loved hearing the story with twangs of Malaysian and Japanese accents.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Murder

Minor: Rape

fkshg8465's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Just barely a three. Wanted to like it more but I probably would’ve been better off DNFing it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, Confinement, Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, and Blood