Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

42 reviews

lizzyreadz's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

3.0

Vanessa Chens’s debut novel is a moving and confident work of historical fiction that I don’t know much about. Chen’s perspective is an important one that brings to life a part of history through the story of a family’s tragic journey. Colonization, power, and agonizing choices create the spirit of rebellion and resistance but without true redemption. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

thrillofthepage's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Storm We Made is a beautifully written, yet heartbreaking historical fiction novel that takes place in the mid 1930s through the end of WWII in Malaya (present day Malaysia). The dual timelines offer a slow unfolding of the way decisions can impact lives for years. The multi-POVs of Cecily, Able, Jujube, and Jasmine provide an inside and unfiltered look into what life was like during both the British and Japanese occupation.  Vanessa Chan fully immerses her readers by writing about the devastation of colonization, occupation, and the horrors that come with it.  I was left in tears realizing the tragic full circle of our title, The Storm We Made. This book and its characters will stay with me for a long time. Please check TWs.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Absolutely tragic account of war, the significant abuse of young children & families, by those in control.

Observing a fictional family,  their friends & an exploitating lover, brought their horrific life experiences to life.  

Difficult to say you 'enjoyed' such a book, but definitely appreciate how this brings historical experiences to life & helps you to reflect on the current world wars & individuals experiences that are happening today.

The audio book was fantastic. Definitely recommend to others.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me to listen to the audio book & provide this review.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

rosarachel's review

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, and Trafficking

violeteel's review against another edition

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War

pran's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

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

2.0

This is a very ambitious book. It is trying to be a historical, espionage, family-drama, wartime thriller.

Unfortunately I think the tension-building could've been better as I just did not feel it was very propulsive. I think this was due to a combination of the writing style, character-building and pacing. 
I didn't feel attached to the characters, I think because Cecily was really just built of everything she hadn't done or wasn't, rather than qualities or traits she had. I thought the characterisation of the children was much better, and I certainly felt more attached to them and they felt more life-like.

However, I think the book was too short to actually explore everything it did, and had it been longer, it would've made more sense and felt less stilted.

Abel's alcoholism, Yuki's abuse and disfigurement and Gordon's death

felt like they were basically just trauma porn and plot-driven, rather than experiences that the characters go through which develop them. You could see through almost every interaction in the book as being purposeful for the plot rather than being seamlessly weaved together and capturing early 1940s Malaysia.

And then the ending just felt hastily tied together because books like this need to have a neat ending. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and War

internationalreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative 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

3.0

This one didn’t quite work for me. The characters felt one-dimensional and like they were written for the white gaze. I appreciated the setting in WWII Malaya though, which we need more books about.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

beranceknows's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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

2.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

katrinaslibrary's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Genocide, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racism

This book is set during the Second Sino-Japanese war where the Japanese Imperial Army committed war crimes, across Asia. Please be mindful that for some readers can be triggered by generational trauma.

soljovis's review

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail