The Storm We Made: A Novel

During the Second World War, Japan waged similar campaigns of occupation against other countries in the Southeast Asian region. Choose one country that was occupied by Japan, research their literature, and discuss a title that explores the war from their perspective.

Fujiwara gains Cecily’s sympathy by sharing his dream of an Asia for Asians. The unspoken part of his dream is that Japan retains control over the other Asian nations. Discuss whether the concept of Asia for Asians is a practical concept. If not, discuss why it might be futile to unite regions under one banner.

Use the irony around the railway camp liberation to explain the cultural response to Britain’s establishment of the Malayan Union. How did this eventually lead to the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1948?

The creation of comfort stations is widely recognized as one of the worst wartime atrocities in the Pacific theater of war. What were the repercussions of this atrocity in the years after the war? How do the victims of this atrocity view the Japanese government’s response to their plight, if any such response exists?

Discuss the symbolic role of monsoon season in this novel. When do storms appear in the novel and how do they reflect the cyclical nature of Malayan colonial history?

How does Chapter 24’s consolidation of the four characters’ perspectives affect the reader’s experience of its events? Moreover, interpret the significance of Chapter 25 withdrawing the narrative technique of a fixed character point-of-view.

Cecily observes that everyone is “both good and bad” (206). Is she saying this to explain away the morality of her actions? How does this affect our perception of Cecily, Fujiwara, Lina, Jasmin, and/or Yuki as characters?

Fujiwara indicates that he had lost an infant son before meeting Cecily. Using what you know about Fujiwara’s character, discuss whether this claim was true or whether he was saying this to appeal to Cecily’s emotions.