The Storm, Arif Anwar
The Storm, Arif Anwar
1 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Storm

Author: Arif Anwar

Narrator: Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani

Unabridged: 9 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/15/2018


Synopsis

From an immensely talented new voice in international fiction, this “fascinating, ambitious” (The New York Times Book Review) and epic novel seamlessly interweaves five love stories that, together, chronicle sixty years of Bangladeshi history—for fans of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance.

Shahryar, a recent PhD graduate and father of nine-year-old Anna, must leave the United States when his visa expires. In their last remaining weeks together, we learn Shahryar’s history, in a vil­lage on the Bay of Bengal, where a poor fisherman and his wife are preparing to face a storm of historic proportions. That story intersects with those of a Japanese pilot, a British doctor stationed in Burma during World War II, and a privileged couple in Calcutta who leaves everything behind to move to East Pakistan following the Partition of India. Inspired by the 1970 Bhola cyclone, in which half a million-people perished overnight, the structure of this riveting novel mimics the storm itself. Building to a series of revelatory and moving climaxes, it shows the many ways in which families love, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another.

At once grounded in history and fantastically imaginative, The Storm “moves us deftly through time and across borders, beautifully illustrating the strange intersections we call fate, and reminding us how the past shapes the present” (Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty). Exploring the human­ity that connects us beyond the surface differences of race, religion, and nationality, “this powerful and important debut is a story for our time” (Library Journal, starred review).

About Arif Anwar

Arif Anwar was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh, just miles from the Bay of Bengal. He has previously worked for BRAC, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental organizations, on issues of poverty alleviation, and for UNICEF Myanmar on public health issues. Arif has a PhD in education from the University of Toronto. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife Si (Sandra) Lian. The Storm is his first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on February 21, 2022

The Storm is the first book I’ve read set partially in Bangladesh. It’s described as, “Seamlessly interweaves five love stories that, together, chronicle sixty years of Bangladeshi history.” It’s an epic story covered in just over 300 pages with seamless storytelling. It’s broken up into chapters tha......more

Goodreads review by Arif on September 06, 2018

Writing the novel was definitely an amazing experience, hence the five stars. As for reading it, well, you tell me! :-)......more

Goodreads review by Julie on October 15, 2023

One cyclone that erased half a million lives overnight. One nation carved into two. A war with so many sides that the entire world seemed on fire. And five stories that span sixty years and countless twists of fate. Inspired by the Bhola Cyclone that devastated what is now Bangladesh in November 197......more

Goodreads review by Paltia on October 12, 2018

A historically based novel that covers significant territory in time and beliefs. This felt both realistic and romantic without sacrificing one style for the other. It is a highly imaginative story readily summoning up locations vividly based in all the senses. It sure made me hungry too with all th......more

Goodreads review by Katy O. on September 09, 2018

A random library grab. A 5 🌟 international, multigenerational, multiple narrative, time-hopping literary fiction #ownvoices novel set in the Bay of Bengal and Washington DC (among other places). . I went into this one completely cold and it ended up being one of my most memorable reads of the year. An......more