A review by serendipitysbooks
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

 The Storm We Made is a wonderful work of historical fiction. It has two main timelines - the first in the 1930s when Malaya was a British colony; the second in 1945 when it was occupied by the Japanese. At the centre is the Alcantara family, especially mother Cecily, older daughter Jujube, son Abel and younger daughter Jasmin and the story unfolds through their four points of view. Cecily was perhaps the most interesting character, not just a wife and mother. Her determination and drive made her stand out, and her realisation that perhaps she had been used and that what she thought she was working towards wasn’t what she believed it would be was slightly heartbreaking and a salutary lesson. Through the experience of the different family members Chan is able to highlight various aspects of colonisation and the war experience in Malaysia, things like the Asia for Asian movement, “comfort women” (a euphemism I despise and I was horrified to learn that many were in fact girls, and young girls at that) and forced labour camps. One aspect of the book that really stood out was the exploration of dichotomies like good and bad, right and wrong and how very often these things coexist. I thought the characterisation was good and I appreciated its nuance - for instance the Japanese tearoom customer who seemed genuinely kind, nice and gentle but was deliberately blind to the damage and destruction his country had caused. I also appreciated Chan not shying away from having her characters facing the harsh if unforeseen consequences of their actions. A tough read in places but one I’m glad to have read. It certainly offered something new in the field of WWII historical fiction. 
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