The Storm We Made follows the stories of one family from the 1930s when Malaya was occupied by the British, through to the mid 1940s when Japanese forces had taken over and occupied Malaya.
Through switching perspectives, we see multiple members of this family fighting to survive through a turbulent time and multiple heartbreaking events.
Throughout this novel I was enthralled. From the richly developed characters, to the well described setting. I felt as though I was right there with the characters.
This book is an emotional one. Shining light onto the horrific events many had to live through. All while weaving a complex story of how decisions have a lasting effect.
I truly loved this book.

Harrowing, heartbreaking, beautiful... Vanessa Chan is an absolute superstar, weaving together so many stories across so many places in such a perfect package. The ultimate talent.

A wonderful epic about a Malaysian family during the Second World War. Very interesting and good story, but, of course, extremely depressing at times too.
I found it hard to identify with some of the characters, I couldn’t work out their motives.
A difficult read, I’m glad I persevered

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

Difficult to get into but really worth the wait for a very moving story of a family in Malaysia. Well written and easy to describe.

Another incredible book,another book that will stay with me and that I want others to read. It is in turns horrifying and beautiful a compelling read

An amazing debut novel from a talented author. Set in British colonial Malaya before WWII and in Japanese occupied Malaya in 1945 this is a story of with great depth . Told through the eyes of a family living through those turbulent times it gives another perspective to both British colonial life and the horrors of the Japanese occupation .Having lived for a time many years ago, 25 years after the end of the war, in Singapore I found this story to in many ways accurately portray the country I briefly knew.
A tale of misplaced idealism and of the horrors human beings can inflict on one another this is a stark reminder, if one is needed , that every effort needs to be made to bring peace and cooperation to the world. An unlikely scenario I know . But a necessity.
I have nothing but praise for this excellent novel.

The huge pro about this book is that it is written in own voices. I really appreciate historical fiction that ensures authentic representation and perspectives and I feel we get that here. It follows Cecily and her 3 children during the occupation of Malaysia first by the British and then later by the Japanese.

I loved the history and learning more about how the Malaysian people were treated (spoiler terribly) under both regimes. The horrors of war never fail to shock, especially when you consider what is still happening parts of the world today.

The vivid language made it a sensory rich read. However I detested Cecily, and never really warmed to any of her children either. Cecily was a spy during English occupation, so she feels terrible when her family falls apart then after Japan invades. But she never failed to let me down with her actions, and I had no time for her moping around.

A book I'm glad I spent time with as it broadened by knowledge on Malaysia's history, but I wish I had liked the main character more.

I'm grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this captivating book. From the first page to the last, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, unable to put it down. The characters were well-developed, the plot was gripping, and the writing was superb. Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fellow readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this wonderful reading experience.

Very compelling. Excellent book in terms of historical context and setting. The timeline of the story works very well because it shows the lasting impact of the Japanese invasion on Cecily's family over the years. A lot happens here but I missed depth in the characters. What were their true motivations? Why was it never enough for Cecily? In the end, I am glad to have read this because it taught me a lot about an important time in history.

This was an interesting historical fiction book and I felt I learnt a lot about an area of history I knew little about. I like the split between the main characters’ point of views and it was such a heartbreaking ending.

Set in Malaya across two time frames, the British Malaya of the 1930s and the Japanese occupied Malaya of 1945, this is the story of Cecily, housewife and mother to three.

This is a story of the horror of war, but how war intertwines with personal lives, relationships, and how these push across enemy boundaries. It's moving and upsetting at times, but a well-crafted and well told story.

The characters are well written, from the often emotional Cecily, broken by personal horrors, to the seductive yet often cold general Fujiwara.

I love reading fiction that also educates me in the history of the country talked about and I really enjoyed finding out about Malaysia during WW2. It is a frightening time for Cecily as she struggles to do what is right. A very enjoyable read.

the storm we made is very much a book club book that wasn't as memorable read as i'd hoped but nevertheless it wasn't bad

Set in Malaya before and during WW2 this book gives a not often told (to a British audience) view of the war. I found the setting very evocative particularly the POW camp scenes with Abel and Freddie.
I would've liked more development and insight into some of the characters and their actions of the children of the family towards the end of the book were a little confusing in places why they did what they did.
Overall a great historical fiction if you want to explore the Japanese and British occupations of Malaya at this time.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a copy of The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan to read and review by NetGalley. This is a well written, emotive novel inspired by real events in the author’s home country of Malaysia (Malaya in the time the novel is set). With split timelines the story moves between various members of the Alcantara family, with the main emphasis on the mother Cecily. It is tender and horrifying in turn and exposes how the truth and perception of a person can be skewed, with devastating results. Towards the end of the book I felt that there were certain aspects that were rather unlikely and somewhat romanticized, if that is the right terminology! Having said that I feel that the novel is worthy of 4 stars if only for highlighting an aspect of the occupation of Malaya that I was unaware of.

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and the author Vanessa Chan.
I enjoy WW2 historical fiction and it was very interesting to learn more about both the British and Japanese control of Malaya/Malaysia.
However I found the storytelling here to be very frenetic, fragmented and slightly stressful to read at times. For that reason, I can't give it more than 3 stars but would still recommend for those fans of this type of fiction.

This was a really compelling read. I enjoyed the historical elements to the story and enjoyed the different viewpoints and narratives you received from each character, Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was an interesting exploration of what must have been a horrendous time in Malaysia's history, and the perennial fight for women to be something other than wives and mothers. Cecily is not a likeable character - you definitely question her decisions - but you can still see where they came from. It does feel a little contrived to have so many members of her family fall foul of different aspects of the Japanese invasion, but understandable for a novel that is obviously trying to show the scope of the historical trauma Malaysia suffered. Each story was compelling in its own way, and overall the novel is a refreshing addition to the World War II canon.

Oof this book was like a punch to the gut. It was so heartbreaking and I loved every minute of it. Everytime I got hopeful something else would happen that would tear me apart. I stayed up way too late to finish it and then even later thinking about it after I did.

I really enjoyed this book and found the character development heart-breakingly compelling with the most stunning and unexpected ending.

There is a definite sense of 'we reap what we sow' as this story develops. I knew little about Malaysia before reading this - both generally or during the war - so I found some of the content enlightening and shocking.

The story follows a number of characters over two timelines - before the outbreak of the Second World War and towards the end of it. Cecily's naivety is her biggest downfall, though understandable, and I found myself increasingly empathetic towards her as the narrative developed. Her relationship with Bingley/Fujiwara is hard to read at times, particularly during his marriage to her 'friend.'

Cecily has many sins and secrets to hide from her family. Much of their pain and horror could be blamed on her earlier actions - though can she really be blamed for the way her world changed? It strikes me that Fujiwara was so driven to acquire the information he required that he would duped as many people as it took to meet his goal.

Beautifully written and carefully plotted - the prose seems to speed up as the book reaches its climax. This is not a book to be missed, but it is full of cruelty, violence and does not shy away from the depravities of human nature, particularly during times of war and conflict.