The Storm We Made: The spellbinding WW2 sweeping book club novel 'One of the most powerful debuts I've ever read' Tracy Chevalier

Based on true events, "The Japanese Wife" is a gripping novel that explores the consequences of a woman's decision to seduce a Japanese general during WWII, and how she must face up to her past to save her children.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2024
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

A gripping, exquisitely plotted novel. I could not put it down!

Alice Winn, author of the Sunday Times bestseller In Memoriam, has crafted a striking, moving exploration of good and evil. This novel is sure to stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Cecile Pin, author of Wandering Souls, praised the book as "a remarkable achievement." She added, "It is a novel that will stay with you, challenging your perceptions and leaving you with a profound sense of empathy and understanding."

Featured on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, the book delves into the life of Cecily, a disgruntled housewife who is seduced by Japanese general Fujiwara and the glorious future he promises for independent Malaya. As Cecily 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.

Set in Japanese-occupied Malaya in 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. However, Cecily cannot 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?

One of the most powerful debuts I've ever read, the book has received widespread acclaim from critics. Jessamine Chan, for example, said, "I'll never forget this book. A storytelling star is born!"

Tracy Chevalier, another renowned author, praised the book as "exceptionally brave, heart-breaking, beautiful, and moving." She added, "A significant contribution to world literature, this novel will leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads it."

Nguyen Phan Que Mai, a Vietnamese-American writer, hailed the book as "a remarkable achievement." He praised the author's "bravery and honesty in exploring a painful chapter of history," and added, "This novel is a testament to the power of storytelling to heal and inspire."

Weight: 570g
Dimension: 162 x 242 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399712576