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A review by strawberrymivvy
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
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? It's complicated
3.5
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: Rape, Child abuse, and Torture