The Storm We Made: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of sexual violence and harassment, racism, substance use, and rape.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What does the novel’s title, The Storm We Made, suggest about human agency in historical events? How does this idea manifest through Cecily’s collaboration with Fujiwara and its consequences for her family?

2. Which character’s perspective resonated with you most deeply? Did your allegiances shift as the story progressed?

3. Many novels explore colonial resistance through different lenses. How does The Storm We Made compare to works like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun in its portrayal of collaboration versus active resistance?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Cecily makes decisions rooted in her desire for a purpose beyond domestic life. When have you felt torn between societal expectations and personal ambitions?

2. The novel portrays different approaches to trauma: Abel uses toddy to forget while Freddie draws to preserve memories. What strategies have you used to process difficult experiences in your life?

3. Throughout the story, various characters experience betrayal from those they trusted. Think about a time when trust was broken in your life. What allowed you to move forward?

4. What childhood friendships helped you navigate difficult times and how do they compare to the relationship between Jasmin and Yuki?

5. Have you ever faced a situation where you had to choose between vengeance and compassion similar to Jujube’s decision regarding Takahashi?

6. What ethical dilemmas have you faced that required weighing competing values like the choices Cecily makes supporting the Japanese occupation?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. In what ways does Chan challenge the notion of a “benevolent colonizer” through her portrayal of both the British and Japanese occupation of Malaya?

2. Women’s bodies become battlegrounds throughout the novel, from Cecily’s domestic confines to the comfort stations. How does the novel portray the specific vulnerabilities of women during wartime occupation?

3. What does the novel reveal about racial hierarchies through Abel’s experiences at the labor camp and the different treatment characters receive based on their skin color?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Chan employs multiple timelines, with Cecily’s narrative largely occurring in flashbacks while her children’s stories unfold in the present. What effect does this structure have on our understanding of cause and consequence?

2. How does the motif of disguise function throughout the novel, from Fujiwara posing as a merchant to Cecily disguising Jasmin as a boy?

3. What symbolic significance do Freddie’s blood drawings hold for the novel’s exploration of memory, trauma, and bearing witness?

4. How does the contrast between children’s and adults’ perspectives enhance Chan’s exploration of war, colonialism, and solidarity?

5. The comfort station wheelbarrow transforms from a simple object into a sanctuary for Jasmin and Yuki. What other spaces in the novel take on symbolic importance, and how do they reflect the characters’ emotional states?

6. Many of Chan’s characters experience internal conflicts that mirror external historical struggles similar to the characters in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer. Where do you see these parallels most powerfully drawn in The Storm We Made, and what do they suggest about the relationship between personal and political identity?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Add another perspective chapter to the novel. Whose viewpoint would you choose and what insights might it offer about the events in Malaya?

2. Imagine Freddie’s drawings survived beyond the war and were discovered decades later by historians. Describe one of the drawings and its impact on our understanding of wartime labor camps in Southeast Asia.

3. The novel explores how historical events echo through generations, with characters carrying the consequences of past actions. Write an epilogue set 20 years after the novel’s conclusion, what would happen to the surviving Alcantaras?

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