The Storm We Made: A Novel

The friendship between Cecily and Lina grows, allowing Cecily to realize the similarities and differences between them. Lina expresses that her misfortunes in her first marriage were preordained, a necessary evil that led to her marriage with Fujiwara. She reads Cecily’s palm and sees that “a big betrayal. Or a disruption. A lack of peace” (202) will happen in her life. When Cecily looks bothered by the prediction, Lina laughs at the reading and shows Cecily her own short lifeline, forecasting early death.

Cecily and Fujiwara continue their collaboration, meeting at the hotel and then eventually sleeping with each other. Cecily is disappointed by the sex because of how considerate Fujiwara is. During one encounter, Cecily asks if his relationship with Lina is another one of his intelligence schemes. He answers that he is using Lina for her connections, just as Lina is using him for his.

Cecily and Lina become pregnant at the same time. Cecily is unsure whether Fujiwara or Gordon is the father. She shares this information with Fujiwara, which upsets him. Meanwhile, Lina is often nauseated and exhausted by her pregnancy, but the thing that affects her most is Fujiwara’s sudden coldness toward her.

At the end of the year, monsoon season reaches its peak. Cecily goes to see Fujiwara before Jujube and Abel return from school. He asks her for help in determining the strategy for the invasion of Malaya, which he is leading. She suggests invading terrestrially from the north instead of through the south seas, where the British are expecting them. He is impressed by her suggestion, and they have sex on his map, tearing it. Afterward, Fujiwara encourages her to wait the rain out, but she declines. Reaching home, she is blown by a gust of wind that sends her falling onto the nearby drain.

She wakes up in her bedroom, cared for by Lina, who is managing her household while she recovers. Lina reassures Cecily that her pregnancy is fine and tells her that she will be staying with her to look after her. Cecily commiserates with her over Fujiwara’s sudden coldness. Lina supposes that it is a sign of her love to accept his bad qualities. When Lina asks her if she is wrong for thinking that, Cecily assures her that “[is] the one thing that is not wrong” (223).

After a brief period of sympathy for the Alcantaras, the neighbors begin to whisper that they must have done something bad to cause Jasmin to run away. Jujube’s guilt is compounded by the silence in her house. She nonetheless returns to work at the teahouse.

Meanwhile, the Pacific theater of war nears resolution as the Japanese Emperor Hirohito is expected to surrender. Many of the Japanese soldiers in Bintang lose their morale, which make them more prone to aggression. Mr. Takahashi comes to the teahouse irregularly, which disrupts the assistance he extended to the Alcantaras in the past. One day, a letter from Ichika arrives. Takahashi reads it to Jujube, showing her a picture of his daughter working at the hospital. Jujube continues to resent Ichika and offers few details about her family situation, expecting that Takahashi might eventually announce his return to Japan.

In 1938, the Axis Powers gain significant advantages in both Europe and Asia. Fujiwara tells Cecily that he is being reassigned to China. Cecily expresses her concern for Lina but understands that this is something Fujiwara must do for the good of the region. Fujiwara shares his vision for a self-governed Malaya. Cecily quietly harbors her own vision of a life as Fujiwara’s equal. It only then becomes clear to her that Fujiwara plans to leave without telling Lina.

Fujiwara leaves Bintang, and Lina comes to Cecily and Gordon in panic over her husband’s disappearance. Meanwhile, the neighbors blame Lina for his departure. Cecily now feels herself fulfilling two roles: one as a friend to Lina and the other as Fujiwara’s partner, listening for news and wondering about his whereabouts. Cecily consoles Lina, despite Gordon’s requests to stay away from her.

In the aftermath of Master Akiro’s death, the boys treat Abel with pity, which humiliates him. The Japanese soldiers continue to abandon the railway; those who remain fear the boys. Freddie becomes the de facto leader of the camp, designating roles among the boys to ensure their survival. Infighting breaks out among the boys, but Abel stays away, consoled by his toddy.

Freddie urges Abel to help him figure out how they might be able to leave the camp, but Abel belligerently declines. Over the next few days, the boys prepare to abandon the camp, packing supplies for the journey. With the news that Japan will surrender Malaya, Freddie decides to expedite their departure.