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Table of Contents
About The Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION 2024 FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
In this “espionage-laden family epic” (Vanity Fair), an ordinary housewife becomes an unlikely spy—and her dark secrets will test even the most unbreakable ties.
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 Fujiwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” 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.
Told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made spans years of pain, triumph, and perseverance. “The tenderness in its details, the ordinary ways that these characters love and laugh in the face of the extraordinary…Chan shows us, with clarity and care, how the truest mirror comes from the intimacy of human connection” (The New York Times Book Review).
In this “espionage-laden family epic” (Vanity Fair), an ordinary housewife becomes an unlikely spy—and her dark secrets will test even the most unbreakable ties.
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 Fujiwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” 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.
Told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made spans years of pain, triumph, and perseverance. “The tenderness in its details, the ordinary ways that these characters love and laugh in the face of the extraordinary…Chan shows us, with clarity and care, how the truest mirror comes from the intimacy of human connection” (The New York Times Book Review).
Reading Group Guide
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“‘And as the waxy birthday candle melted into Abel’s dry birthday cake, Cecily knew. Bad things happened to bad people; and she was exactly that—a bad person.’” (pg. 5). How does this quote illustrate Cecily’s guilt? What does it reveal about her perspective as a mother?
Jujubee reflects on the possibility that Western armies might have forgotten about Malaya, thinking, “Maybe people like her, Jasmin, and Abel did not matter—here in a tiny tropical corner in the East, being brutalized by people who looked almost exactly like them.” What is the significance of their suffering being ignored by the West? Based on your knowledge of Malaya during the war, or lack thereof, do you think her suspicion is justified?
Mr. Takahashi, whose daughter perished in Nagasaki, feels enraged at America after the bombing yet displays kindness toward Malayans. How do you interpret his overall sense of humanity? And how does Jujubee’s encouragement for him to hold onto faith—despite Japan’s actions toward her country—add complexity to this dynamic?
Cecily’s yearning for more than being a housewife, coupled with the guilt she feels as a result of her past decisions, highlights the tension between personal dreams and familial responsibilities. How do Cecily’s surroundings intensify this internal conflict? Do you see parallels to these struggles in modern society?
What moments in the story capture Jasmine’s childhood innocence? How do the realities of war shape and, ultimately, challenge that innocence?
Cecily concludes, “All love was someone breaking their soul into smaller pieces and offering the broken pieces of themselves as a puzzle to someone else.” (pg. 127). How does this sentiment reflect Cecily’s experiences? Do you agree with her perspective on love?
Despite Fujiwara’s actions and their complicated history, Cecily feels pity for him as she sees him and Lina reintegrate into society, noting his sacrifices for his ideology. Why do you think Cecily feels this way about him? How does she eventually come to terms with her feelings?
How does Cecily balance her love for Lina and Gordon while continuing her relationship with Fujiwara? What do her actions toward each of them reveal? How do the contexts of occupation and war further complicate her situation?
Freddie’s arrival, his first taste of toddy, and Brother Luke’s death mark significant changes for Abel during his time at the camp. He reflects on a daily fight for survival and his confrontation with mortality. Do you think Abel’s humanity was fundamentally changed or adapted to his circumstances? Would it have been possible for him to remain unchanged in such an environment?
“The British had come for the camp and bombed it to hell, to wipe out any way for the Japanese to transport supplies. And yet the only men who lay on the ground in piles of ash and limbs were conscripted boys who had, against the odds, survived the Japanese torture only to die at the hands of their supposed saviors.” (pg. 297). How does war blur the boundaries between good and evil? What does the Alcantara family’s story—and the tragedy of war-torn Malaya—reveal about who is caught in the crossfire of such blurred lines?
Based on your understanding of family dynamics, how do Jujubee, Jasmine, and Abel embody—or differ from—the stereotypical traits of their respective roles (oldest daughter, younger son, youngest daughter)?
How do the shifts in perspective, setting, and time between chapters provide deeper insight into the characters and their situations? How might your reading experience have differed if the story had focused on only one character throughout?
By the end of the novel, how has each character evolved? How have the horrors of violence and war shaped their transformations?
Jujubee reflects on the possibility that Western armies might have forgotten about Malaya, thinking, “Maybe people like her, Jasmin, and Abel did not matter—here in a tiny tropical corner in the East, being brutalized by people who looked almost exactly like them.” What is the significance of their suffering being ignored by the West? Based on your knowledge of Malaya during the war, or lack thereof, do you think her suspicion is justified?
Mr. Takahashi, whose daughter perished in Nagasaki, feels enraged at America after the bombing yet displays kindness toward Malayans. How do you interpret his overall sense of humanity? And how does Jujubee’s encouragement for him to hold onto faith—despite Japan’s actions toward her country—add complexity to this dynamic?
Cecily’s yearning for more than being a housewife, coupled with the guilt she feels as a result of her past decisions, highlights the tension between personal dreams and familial responsibilities. How do Cecily’s surroundings intensify this internal conflict? Do you see parallels to these struggles in modern society?
What moments in the story capture Jasmine’s childhood innocence? How do the realities of war shape and, ultimately, challenge that innocence?
Cecily concludes, “All love was someone breaking their soul into smaller pieces and offering the broken pieces of themselves as a puzzle to someone else.” (pg. 127). How does this sentiment reflect Cecily’s experiences? Do you agree with her perspective on love?
Despite Fujiwara’s actions and their complicated history, Cecily feels pity for him as she sees him and Lina reintegrate into society, noting his sacrifices for his ideology. Why do you think Cecily feels this way about him? How does she eventually come to terms with her feelings?
How does Cecily balance her love for Lina and Gordon while continuing her relationship with Fujiwara? What do her actions toward each of them reveal? How do the contexts of occupation and war further complicate her situation?
Freddie’s arrival, his first taste of toddy, and Brother Luke’s death mark significant changes for Abel during his time at the camp. He reflects on a daily fight for survival and his confrontation with mortality. Do you think Abel’s humanity was fundamentally changed or adapted to his circumstances? Would it have been possible for him to remain unchanged in such an environment?
“The British had come for the camp and bombed it to hell, to wipe out any way for the Japanese to transport supplies. And yet the only men who lay on the ground in piles of ash and limbs were conscripted boys who had, against the odds, survived the Japanese torture only to die at the hands of their supposed saviors.” (pg. 297). How does war blur the boundaries between good and evil? What does the Alcantara family’s story—and the tragedy of war-torn Malaya—reveal about who is caught in the crossfire of such blurred lines?
Based on your understanding of family dynamics, how do Jujubee, Jasmine, and Abel embody—or differ from—the stereotypical traits of their respective roles (oldest daughter, younger son, youngest daughter)?
How do the shifts in perspective, setting, and time between chapters provide deeper insight into the characters and their situations? How might your reading experience have differed if the story had focused on only one character throughout?
By the end of the novel, how has each character evolved? How have the horrors of violence and war shaped their transformations?
About The Author
Photograph by Mary Inhea Kang
Vanessa Chan is the Malaysian author of internationally bestselling The Storm We Made, a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick, and New York Times Editor’s Choice. The novel, her first, will be translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Her other work has been published in Vogue, Esquire, and more.
Product Details
- Publisher: S&S/Marysue Rucci Books (January 2, 2024)
- Length: 352 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668015162
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Raves and Reviews
"One of the best espionage novels I’ve ever come across." —CrimeReads
"Vanessa Chan is the kind of author who can completely transport you to another time and place… it is a total page turner.” —Good Morning America, GMA Book Club Pick
“This ambitious and sweeping debut novel explores the fallout of a Malayan woman’s decision to become a spy for Japanese forces in World War II, unwittingly helping to usher in a brutal occupation with devastating costs for her family.” —New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice
“’Ambitious’ would be a trite term for Vanessa Chan’s outstanding debut, a historical novel that thrums with the commingling tensions of its backdrop: the lead-up to the WWII Japanese invasion of what is now Malaysia. Chan writes her characters—particularly the conflicted protagonist, Cecily Alcantara, a former espionage asset to the Japanese Imperial Army—with a precision that neither flinches from the brutality of war nor ignores the humanity within. This is a book with real staying power.” —Elle Magazine
“[T]his debut novel grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go, following a single family through one of World War II’s most grisly—and often overlooked—chapters... Moving between perspectives and timelines—between actions and their disastrous, unforeseen consequences—Chan tests the bounds of familial bonds, political sacrifice, and human resilience.” —Oprah Daily, The Best Novels to Read This January
“A wartime story like you’ve never read before.” —PEOPLE Magazine
"[A] searing debut.... Conquest and colonization have long been fertile subjects in fiction, from Joseph Conrad to present-day writers such as Zadie Smith and Imbolo Mbue. Like them, Chan uses colonialism as a lens through which to examine such themes as racism, colorism, status, poverty and violence.... The author and her relatives carry 'the legacy of colonization' in their bodies, Chan writes, and it was this intergenerational trauma — and resilience — she wanted to evoke through [her novel]. With authenticity and passion, Chan succeeds in imparting their pain and will to survive, through singular characters whose flaws and contradictions are as fascinating as their strengths."
—Leigh Haber, Washington Post
"This ambitious and sweeping debut novel explores the fallout of a Malayan woman’s decision to become a spy for Japanese forces during World War II. Seduced by promises of an “Asia for Asians,” she instead helps usher in a brutal occupation with devastating costs for her family.“ —The New York Times
“Vanessa Chan’s espionage-laden family epic, which takes place in Malaya under British and Japanese occupation, dissects the moral complexity of decisions made under duress.” —Vanity Fair
"The Storm We Made is a searing look at the impacts of colonialism, the horrors of war, and the power of a mother's love.” —Town & Country, "The 30 Must-Read Books of Winter 2024"
"The Storm We Made kicks up a weather system of epic proportions, ranging from military terror during World War II to domestic warmth…. The book’s greatest power: It makes space for complexity without relinquishing the grip of a good story…. Chan reveals how war is experienced in bodies and hearts, breaking down the morale of those who remain.… This is a novel concerned with power — how it’s given and taken, whom we must align with to get close to it — and the consuming desire for more…. But simmering beneath all of this is the will to dream — for the self, the family and the nation.… What makes the book pulse with life is … the tenderness in its details, the ordinary ways that these characters love and laugh in the face of the extraordinary…. Chan shows us, with clarity and care, how the truest mirror comes from the intimacy of human connection.” —The New York Times Book Review
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