The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this affect my review or my rating of the novel.

The Storm We Made is a historical fiction novel set during the Japanese occupation of Malaya that follows the Alcantara family. When the Japanese invade Malaya, local families initially hope that this will be a good change from British control, with talks of an Asia for Asians, more opportunities for growth and education. However, the Japanese military proves to be violent and vindictive, with boys going missing and young girls being taken away from their families to provide entertainment for the soldiers. The mother of the Alcantara family, though, is carrying a secret: she had served as a spy for the Japanese military, helping to usher in the new world that Japan promised would be good for her people. Instead, she must watch as her family is split apart, suffering under Japanese rule, and harboring her own guilt for her actions.

This book absolutely blew me away with its rich characterization. The mother of the Alcantara family, Cecily, was especially relatable. She is highly intelligent and her talents are utterly wasted as a homemaker – it is her own boredom and lack of respect from others that first attracts her to General Fujiwara, the undercover Japanese spy who is there to learn more about British forces. Cecily is far from perfect: she lies to nearly everyone around her, cheats on her husband, and is less than patient with her own children. However, her own ambitions and longing for significance make her admirable, even when her actions are less than ideal. Her son, Abel, was similarly likeable and complicated. After being taken away from his home, Abel undergoes a great deal of suffering, and he is irrevocably changed by his experiences. He becomes less honorable, and struggles a great deal with his own actions and motivations, but the struggles he goes through make him ultimately more human and more sympathetic, and I stayed highly invested in him reaching an ending that could bring him peace.

Before reading this book, I knew next to nothing about Malaysian history, and I really appreciated how much time and thought was put into fleshing Malaysia out into a rich, multi-dimensional setting. I really appreciated the time and attention put into basic environmental aspects, like weather and temperature and construction, as well as the culture and history that is baked into the characters themselves. The scenes were often laid out with great attention to sensory details while still pushing the plot forward. I never felt like I was stuck in the middle of a bunch of exposition, and yet I was able to clearly and vividly see every single scene from every one of the characters.

In all, I’ll give The Storm We Made a 9 out of 10. This is a beautifully written, compelling narrative that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about World War II history. I just want to warn readers that there is a great deal of violence and body horror in this book, so as long as that isn’t a trigger for you, it’s well worth the read.