The Storm We Made

Paperback Published on: 30/01/2025
Price: £9.99
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Bookseller Reviews

View all
The Storm We Made
Powerful and harrowing
I read for all sorts of reasons. Usually it’s because I enjoy escaping into a different world, but I also like to read different texts, ones that inform an... READ MORE
Beth at Chesterfield
The Storm We Made
A harrowing but poignant tale of real life experiences and the horror of war!
Words cannot express how important this novel is. Detailing real experiences by Malaysians under the occupation of both Britain and Japan this story was he... READ MORE
IndiaReadsALot
The Storm We Made
Brutal but with characters you won't forget
The Storm We Made is one of those books that brought to light a period of World War Two that I was completely unaware of and up until now, hadn't really co... READ MORE
Emma Smith at Bedford

Synopsis

✨'A storytelling star is born'✨ TRACY CHEVALIER
✨'A novel that will stay with you'✨ CECILE PIN
✨'Devastating, beautiful and extraordinary'✨ JESSICA GEORGE
✨'Magnificent . . . I implore you to read it'✨ CHRIS WHITAKER
✨'I'll never forget this book'✨ JESSAMINE CHAN

Malaysia, 1945. As WW2 rages, will a mother's choice affect her children forever?

British Malaya, 1930s
Discontented housewife Cecily is seduced by Japanese general Fujiwara and the glorious future he is promising for 'independent' Malaya, free from British colonialism. As she becomes further embedded as his own personal spy, she unwittingly alters the fate of her country by welcoming in a punishing form of dictatorship under the Japanese in WWII.

Japanese-occupied Malaya, 1945
Cecily and her family are barely surviving. Her children, Jujube, Abel and Jasmin, are surrounded by threat, and look to their mother to keep them safe. But she can't tell them about the part she played in the war - and she doesn't know how to protect them.

Can Cecily face up to her past to save her children? Or is it already too late?

READERS ARE LOVING THE STORM WE MADE:
'A heartbreaking read that I cannot get out of my head or my heart' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This is not a book to be missed' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An absolutely exceptional book that will never leave me'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Vanessa Chan has given us a masterpiece' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Gripping, vivid and moving' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A deeply emotional read, at times painfully so' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Shows a different side to the conflict and emotions of WWII. Beautifully written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A powerful and moving debut' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
  • ISBN: 9781399712613
  • Number of pages: 352
  • Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 24 mm
  • Weight: 247g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Storm We Made
The Storm We Made
What a sad story but compelling to read. The book centres around one family and the traumas they endure during WW11. I am not sure how to critique this b... READ MORE
Monica Hanna
The Storm We Made
This Book is too Brutal
2 stars, This Book is too Brutal THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan A Malaysian woman sacrifices her family and her morals to have an exciting job a... READ MORE
Sally Mander
The Storm We Made
I cannot recommend this book highly enough, it is a story that will stay with me for a long time.
As a Brit that lived in Malaysia, this book had me hooked from the first page. I didn't know any part of this history and this work of fiction was the perf... READ MORE
Sydney K
The Storm We Made
A curious look at an occupied country; as a British colony and by Japanese soldiers.
An interesting enough book, in two interleaved parts, which offers an idea of what went on in Malaya before, around, during and after WWII. An interesting ... READ MORE
Jon Jonnson
The Storm We Made
Historical novel set in 1930/s40s MALAYA
Cecily is a Eurasian, married to Gordon, she has three children and actively wants to be more than just Gordon’s wife and the children’s mother. This is a ... READ MORE
TripFiction
The Storm We Made
A beautifully written, tightly plotted historical epic
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan is a beautifully written, tightly plotted historical epic which tells the story of an unassuming Malayan housewife who be... READ MORE
Lydia Omodara
The Storm We Made
Excellent Debut
Having heard so much about this since publication I was delighted to get my hands on a copy to read. This is an excellent debut which really has the power... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
The Storm We Made
Excellent Debut Novel
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 g... READ MORE
Steven Capel
The Storm We Made
A good read
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 ... READ MORE
Lucy Williams
The Storm We Made
The touching, heartbreaking story of WWII in Malaya
The Storm We Made follows the events unfolding around Cecily and her family in Malaya during the 30s, under British rule, and in 1945, under Japanese occup... READ MORE
KimG9
The Storm We Made
History and fiction combine to make a compelling story
First I must say - although I don't read it myself - there is too much information given in the blurb. The final paragraph would have been sufficient. Thi... READ MORE
Dana Farren
The Storm We Made
Well written and emotive.
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 t... READ MORE
lesleys
The Storm We Made
Very Emotive story
This was a sad and very emotive story. The horrors of war were very evident . It is always the innocent that suffer the most and very difficult to understa... READ MORE
Patricia Moren