The Storm We Made, Vanessa Chan
The Storm We Made, Vanessa Chan
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Storm We Made

Author: Vanessa Chan

Narrator: Samantha Tan

Unabridged: 10 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/02/2024


Synopsis

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).

About Vanessa Chan

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on May 27, 2024

i was so excited to read this book, which is so many of my favorite things: women who spy! family drama! historical fiction about an under-discussed geopolitical moment! its purpose — to show WWII and the era leading up to it from the british- then japanese-ruled malaysian perspective — is excellent.......more

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on February 11, 2024

I love a different perspective on WWII. This one takes place in Malaysia (Malaya) when the Japanese invade. Cecily is the head of the family. Her son, Abel, has disappeared only to become a prisoner. Her youngest daughter, Jasmine, has run away and she fears the soldiers will hurt her. Her older dau......more

Goodreads review by lisa (fc hollywood's version) on May 23, 2024

Many thanks to Marysue Rucci Books, Simon Elements, and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC. This review is my opinion. Note: any quote cited in this review is from the advanced reader version and may be subjected to change upon publication. "But what made people like Jujube and her family......more

Goodreads review by Marilyn (not getting notifications) on January 15, 2024

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan was the third book that I had recently read that was written about the Japanese occupation during World War II. It was author, Vanessa Chan’s debut novel. The Storm We Made took place in Malaysia which back in the 1930’s and 1940’s was known as Malaya. The chapters......more

Goodreads review by Karen on June 05, 2024

This Good Morning America Book Club January 2024 selection was donated to my Little Free Library Shed for the neighborhood. I have been fortunate to win a couple of Good Morning America selections in the past for my LFL (Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and The Niger Wife by Vanessa Walters). M......more


Quotes

"Samantha Tan masterfully narrates a complex story set in Malaya during the British and Japanese occupations. The novel centers around Cecily and her children, Abel, Jujube, and Jasmin, as they navigate life under colonial rule and later, under harsh Japanese control. Initially a spy against British rule, Cecily dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” However, the grim reality of life under Japanese oppression, filled with fear and brutality, alters her perspective. The story unfolds through the viewpoints of Cecily and her children across two timelines, 1937 and 1945. Tan's adept narration brings authenticity to Cecily, a character tormented by guilt and worry. Tan’s calm, structured delivery makes this a challenging yet engaging and enlightening listen."