thereadingcath 's review for:

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

3.5

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book gives an insight into the despair and survival during the British and Japanese occupation in Malaya. Besides feeling like raw, hard facts throwing at my face, some parts are uncomfortable to read as expected in a historical setting. I felt like I’m reading a fiction in a non-fictional setting. Like everything is believable. Hence the uncomfortableness and uneasiness. Although the scenes are cruel, most of the characters are difficult to relate in depth with some I feel unnecessary. Probably leave it to your own imagination and exploration to deep dive each character. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the familiar local references.