The Storm We Made
- Downloads：6158
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2024-01-03 04:22:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Vanessa Chan
- ISBN：B0C1DTSYX7
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
10 hours， 52 minutes
A spellbinding， sweeping novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family。
Malaya， 1945。 Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son， Abel， has disappeared， and her youngest daughter， Jasmin， is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations。 Her eldest daughter Jujube， who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers， becomes angrier by the day。
Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth。
A decade prior， Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya。 A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage， pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians。” Instead， Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese。 Ten years later as the war reaches its apex， her actions have caught up with her。 Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them。
Spanning years of pain and triumph， told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters， The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors， and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake。
A spellbinding， sweeping novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family。
Malaya， 1945。 Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son， Abel， has disappeared， and her youngest daughter， Jasmin， is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations。 Her eldest daughter Jujube， who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers， becomes angrier by the day。
Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth。
A decade prior， Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya。 A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage， pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians。” Instead， Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese。 Ten years later as the war reaches its apex， her actions have caught up with her。 Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them。
Spanning years of pain and triumph， told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters， The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors， and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake。
Reviews
Jordan Briggs
，
Heartbreaking
Alyssa Bauer
，
A novel about the Japanese-invasion into British-controlled Maylaya during WWII。 The story follows alternate timelines involving a mother’s choices and their far reaching impacts on her children and others。 This is an area of history that is often overlooked and the author does a good job showing different aspects of life under Japanese occupation but it was a bit all over the place。 I’m also not really sure why the romantic entanglement was super necessary？ It was a bit cobbled together for me A novel about the Japanese-invasion into British-controlled Maylaya during WWII。 The story follows alternate timelines involving a mother’s choices and their far reaching impacts on her children and others。 This is an area of history that is often overlooked and the author does a good job showing different aspects of life under Japanese occupation but it was a bit all over the place。 I’m also not really sure why the romantic entanglement was super necessary？ It was a bit cobbled together for me to give it a much high review than this。 。。。more
Zoe Stallings
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The Storm We Made is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Malaya with a dual time line and alternating POVS within one family。 The novel time line includes 1945 during Japanese occupation and ten years earlier when Britain occupied the country。 Chan masterfully blends a multitude of themes and perspectives， blurring the lines between good and evil。 The Storm we Made challenges the reader's definition of what a being a good human is。The Storm We Made offers a unique perspective on the t The Storm We Made is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Malaya with a dual time line and alternating POVS within one family。 The novel time line includes 1945 during Japanese occupation and ten years earlier when Britain occupied the country。 Chan masterfully blends a multitude of themes and perspectives， blurring the lines between good and evil。 The Storm we Made challenges the reader's definition of what a being a good human is。The Storm We Made offers a unique perspective on the takeover of a British-dominated country that many Westerners， myself included， have not explored。 While this book is devastating and hard to read at times， it is a wonderfully written novel that I highly recommend。 Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this eARC 。。。more
Kay Dubs
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This is not what I thought it would be about。 It is about WWII， just a different perspective。 I was unaware of the horrors of the Japanese regime controlling Malaysia so that was something I’ll definitely take from this book。 I was pretty disappointed in the last few chapters and ending of the book; I felt like a climax was being built with a huge let down。 I think that was very intentional as this book centers around a family going through wartime but it was almost too negative。 The very graphi This is not what I thought it would be about。 It is about WWII， just a different perspective。 I was unaware of the horrors of the Japanese regime controlling Malaysia so that was something I’ll definitely take from this book。 I was pretty disappointed in the last few chapters and ending of the book; I felt like a climax was being built with a huge let down。 I think that was very intentional as this book centers around a family going through wartime but it was almost too negative。 The very graphic descriptions of triggering events was something I was not prepared for， especially in chapter 2。 I don’t think the graphic nature benefited the book in any way and was used to shock readers rather than add to the story。 I wouldn’t read again and won’t recommend it to others。 。。。more
Shannon
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An incredibly moving and wholly original debut WWII historical fiction story that revolves around the life and choices of one Malayan mother who gets embroiled in espionage and an affair during the Japanese occupation。 Spanning decades and told from multiple POVS， this book explores idealism， the hardships of motherhood and the difficult choices women make for both themselves and their families and how those decisions can have long-lasting consequences。 Great on audio narrated by Samantha Tan， t An incredibly moving and wholly original debut WWII historical fiction story that revolves around the life and choices of one Malayan mother who gets embroiled in espionage and an affair during the Japanese occupation。 Spanning decades and told from multiple POVS， this book explores idealism， the hardships of motherhood and the difficult choices women make for both themselves and their families and how those decisions can have long-lasting consequences。 Great on audio narrated by Samantha Tan， this book is sure to give you all the feels and is perfect for historical fiction lovers and fans of authors like Amy Tan。 Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for an early digital copy and Simon Schuster Audio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Drea
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Best first sentence of a book: "Teenage boys had begun to disappear"。 Vanessa Chan had me from the start。 Set in dual timelines of 1935 and during WW2 in 1945， this book is about the Japanese occupation of Malaya （Malaysia） and a family doing all they can to survive。 I have read about the Japanese occupation （they rode BICYCLES into the country from the north while British colonizers were directing their cannons south toward the sea） and so the information presented was not new to me。 If you don Best first sentence of a book: "Teenage boys had begun to disappear"。 Vanessa Chan had me from the start。 Set in dual timelines of 1935 and during WW2 in 1945， this book is about the Japanese occupation of Malaya （Malaysia） and a family doing all they can to survive。 I have read about the Japanese occupation （they rode BICYCLES into the country from the north while British colonizers were directing their cannons south toward the sea） and so the information presented was not new to me。 If you don't know about this time in history， buckle up - it's horrific and complex and bone-chilling。 What stuck with me after finishing the book is the idea of family trauma and survival - about doing what you need to do to save your kids and yourself and then living with that truth。 This book is powerful and beautifully written and will leave me thinking for a long long time。 Great for book clubs - so much to discuss。 Go read this one。 。。。more
Michelle DeFord
，
Thank you to S&S/Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan。 What it’s about: The Storm We Made is a novel about the devastation of WW2 from the perspective of a mother and her three children in Japanese-occupied Malaya。 The story spans ten years in the life of Cecily Alcantara from 1935-1945。 During this time， she befriends a Japanese general， Fujiwara， who is operating undercover in their town of Bingtang， and helps him by bringing intelligenc Thank you to S&S/Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan。 What it’s about: The Storm We Made is a novel about the devastation of WW2 from the perspective of a mother and her three children in Japanese-occupied Malaya。 The story spans ten years in the life of Cecily Alcantara from 1935-1945。 During this time， she befriends a Japanese general， Fujiwara， who is operating undercover in their town of Bingtang， and helps him by bringing intelligence from her husband， Gordon， who is an official with the public works and a British loyalist。 As she grows increasingly closer to Fujiwara， she turns a blind eye to what is happening around her as the Japanese gain control over their British-owned colony。 Her children， Jujube， Abel， and Jasmin， are in constant danger from the Japanese soldiers， and caught in the middle of an occupation that grows more desperate and horrifying by the day。 When Abel disappears on his 15th birthday， the family begins to fall apart。 Cecily and Gordon are distraught with worry and fear， leaving Jujube to take on a more active role in the household。 To continue to invoke terror and control， the Japanese begin making rounds for young girls as well， so the family takes measures to hide Jasmin from the soldiers by cutting her hair， dressing her like a boy， and hiding her in the basement。 Jasmin quickly grows tired of being forced to hide in the dark all day， and after an argument one morning with Jujube， she runs away from home。 As WW2 barrels toward its violent end， each member of the Alcantara family faces the perils beyond their control， and Cecily must face how much she has played a part in the ultimate misfortunes of her children。What I loved:I love WW2 fiction， but rarely read books from the Asian perspective focusing on Japan's role in the war。 This story is horrifying and heartbreaking and devastatingly good。 Chan has brought to life the anguish， the sorrow， the horror， and the horrendous treatment that the innocent people of Malaya （present day Malaysia） faced， not only at the hands of the Japanese， but the British as well。 Chan's writing made me feel like I was in the story with them， and left me utterly shaken to think how any of our lives could change so quickly by the decisions of men anxious for power。 I will be thinking about this book for a long time。This would be a fabulous book club read and a great novel for an English 9-12 classroom。 There is so much to discuss and pick apart and learn from Chan's writing。 This will be one of the best of 2024。 。。。more
Rachelle
，
The Storm We Made is not an easy read。 It takes place in Malaya during WW2， during the Japanese invasion。 It's full of brutality， and the atrocities the Japanese army committed can be hard to stomach （trigger warnings abound）。 But it's so worth it。 Because while there's violence， there's also longing， tenderness， and loyalty。 The chapters alternate between Cecily before the invasion， a woman who's unhappy with both the smallness of her life and the subservience expected from the British occupier The Storm We Made is not an easy read。 It takes place in Malaya during WW2， during the Japanese invasion。 It's full of brutality， and the atrocities the Japanese army committed can be hard to stomach （trigger warnings abound）。 But it's so worth it。 Because while there's violence， there's also longing， tenderness， and loyalty。 The chapters alternate between Cecily before the invasion， a woman who's unhappy with both the smallness of her life and the subservience expected from the British occupiers。 She agrees to spy for a charismatic Japanese man who promises an "Asia for Asians。" And we read about Cecily's children during one of the last months of the war， as they deal with the consequences of their mother's good intentions。 The book is filled with nuance。 I had so much sympathy for Cecily and her hopes for the future， while also shuddering at what came about and disagreeing with some of her choices。 There's love within the family， but also guilt and blame and disappointment。 Women who are overlooked or expected to conform to a man's expectations， but also women who strive to do and be more。 Chan writes with beautiful imagery， too。 The tensions that rise as the storms do， and the power and emotions that arrive with the monsoon。 It's a book that will stick with me for a long time， making me think about the unexpected consequences of our actions and the ways justice （and is not） achieved。 4。5 starsThank you MarySue Rucci for my copy of the book！ 。。。more
Daisy Bee
，
The Storm We Made is incredible。 The skill of a writer to evoke the images so clearly that the story runs like a film through your mind， is mind-blowing。 This story of Cecily， Abel， Jujube and Jasmin shattered my heart into a million pieces。 It was the intricacy of one family's experience of occupation that really made this so powerful。 And so moving。 This is a book about humanity。 Its cruelty。 Its craving for meaning。 It's ability to survive。 And it's also about love and kindness and hope。 Magn The Storm We Made is incredible。 The skill of a writer to evoke the images so clearly that the story runs like a film through your mind， is mind-blowing。 This story of Cecily， Abel， Jujube and Jasmin shattered my heart into a million pieces。 It was the intricacy of one family's experience of occupation that really made this so powerful。 And so moving。 This is a book about humanity。 Its cruelty。 Its craving for meaning。 It's ability to survive。 And it's also about love and kindness and hope。 Magnificent。 。。。more
George Fekete
，
This book was so beautifully horrifying。 I could not put it down。 I definitely recommend picking it up， and hearing a side to history that is often overlooked in America。
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Storm We Made
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Storm We Made&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Storm We Made&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0