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The Storm We Made
The Storm We Made: A Novel | Vanessa Chan
18 posts | 16 read | 8 to read
A spellbinding, sweeping novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWIIand the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family. Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantaras 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 destructionand 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.
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Texreader
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Pickpick

The Japanese occupation of #Malaysia in WWII is yet another story not told enough. Fortunately there‘s this book reminding all of us of the damage colonization can do, first by the British (but at least not physically brutal) and then by Japan. In this story, we learn early on that Mom Cecily was spying for Japan, planning its invasion, during the British occupation. The Brits treating Malaysians as inferior was a good enough reason to make ⬇️

Texreader Asia for Asians. The novel goes backward to the present (during WWII), and so we also learn during the war that Cecily‘s son is kidnapped and put in a Japanese POW camp to build the Burma railroad. Cecily also has 2 daughters and husband Gordon, who ingratiated himself with the British, at least pre-war, unbeknownst to him his wife was spying for Japan. Much more happens in this book and it‘s very well done except for an overuse of cliches. How ⬇️ (edited) 3mo
Texreader many times do we have to read “She released a breath she didn't know she was holding"? And there are a few more that made me cringe especially given the high caliber writing. Be aware there is sexual violence against minors and a few graphic descriptions of body parts. A good solid read for #foodandlit @Catsandbooks 3mo
Catsandbooks Wow sounds intense! 🇲🇾 3mo
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Texreader
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Catsandbooks ❤️🇲🇾 3mo
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Amie
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Very good. Also tragic.

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marleed
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I return to WWII historical fiction because of those times I learn a perspective I never considered. I‘ve never read anything about Malaya/Malaysia (even googled the location), it being a British colony, or its Japanese occupation. The fictional story set in this timeframe was good, too. I didn‘t consider liking/disliking Cecily as I was simply interested in her story.

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Melkyl
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This is a pick because the writing was good, and I wanted to see how everything would tie together. I also appreciated learning about an area I do not know a lot about. I did feel like the ending was rushed. The whole book was a slow build, which I enjoyed, and then the end just went pretty rapidly for me.

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Deblovestoread
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So excited to be thinking about #CampLitsy24. I have seen so many great nominations posted today. I tried to stay away from those already nominated.

A big thank you to our camp hosts. @squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

Chelsea.Poole Great list! And I loved the tagged — there‘s so much to discuss! (edited) 7mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I waffled on Martyr! It was my 5th pick, so glad it is an option! I hear such good things about it. 7mo
squirrelbrain Two that I‘ve heard of, and two that are new to me - thanks for nominating! 😃 7mo
BarbaraBB I was thinking of Martyr! too and the others seem so good too. Voting will be killing me 😜 7mo
Megabooks My Side of the River would make for such good discussion! Nice choices! 7mo
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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It‘s been very stormy and rainy here for days! This is on my #TBR !! Have you read it?

#SpringSkies
#Cvrwobscuredface

❤️📚

Eggs We had 2 stormy ⛈️ windy days too! 7mo
56 likes1 comment
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Melancholy2243
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Bereavement. War. Death. Families that teach us love and violence simultaneously. I loved this book to the core. Especially since it tells of what colonisers can do to the colonised so brutally, so factually, that it truly hits you in the face that, yes, this is what happened. To many.

Suet624 The things we do to each other. 😒 8mo
53 likes1 comment
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bookaholic1
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Mehso-so

#14
This to me was just ok

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Deblovestoread
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1) Excited for the Women‘s Prize longlist tomorrow and a lunch date Wednesday.
2) Tagged
3) Historical Fiction

@Cupcake12

Cupcake12 Thanks for joining in and have a great week x 9mo
33 likes1 comment
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Lsmoore43
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In just about any book you will learn something. It might be nothing more than a new word. Or it might be a whole section of a war that you did not know existed. A part that until you get lost in the pages of a book were lost to you. I had no idea just how much WW2 was brought to British-colonized Malaya, now Malaysia. How the Japanese were set to take over with the promise of making it more Asian.
Review:http://tinyurl.com/2p87hkh3

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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What did you choose? I‘ve been eyeing the tagged since it came out! 📚🎈📚🎈

#BOTM
#LitsyLoveReads

EKonrad I got The Women too. So excited for this one! 😊 10mo
53 likes1 comment
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Bookboss
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This book shifts between two time periods: Malaya is 1935 and in 1945. The story follows a family living through the Japanese occupation of Malaya. The brutal horrors of war on civilian populations are fully described, so this is not a book for sensitive readers. I was somewhat disappointed in the writing. At times I would have preferred more nuance and subtlety.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 10mo
39 likes1 comment
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Rhondareads
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2024 books coming on strong.

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Amie
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#botm 📚

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vlwelser
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This is historical fiction set in Malaysia during the Japanese occupation. A family struggles to survive as its members start to disappear over time. It's very good. And maybe not a story you've already read a hundred times.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 1/2/2024
#ARC #NetGalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! My brother has spent this summer in Japan and Taiwan and is fascinated by the interconnections and currents between the various cultures in the region. 1y
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