The Storm: A Novel

Arif Anwar

May 2018 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From an immensely talented new voice in international fiction, this “fascinating, ambitious” (The New York Times Book Review) and epic novel seamlessly interweaves five love stories that, together, chronicle sixty years of Bangladeshi history—for fans of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance.

Shahryar, a recent PhD graduate and father of nine-year-old Anna, must leave the United States when his visa expires. In their last remaining weeks together, we learn Shahryar’s history, in a vil­lage on the Bay of Bengal, where a poor fisherman and his wife are preparing to face a storm of historic proportions. That story intersects with those of a Japanese pilot, a British doctor stationed in Burma during World War II, and a privileged couple in Calcutta who leaves everything behind to move to East Pakistan following the Partition of India. Inspired by the 1970 Bhola cyclone, in which half a million-people perished overnight, the structure of this riveting novel mimics the storm itself. Building to a series of revelatory and moving climaxes, it shows the many ways in which families love, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another.

At once grounded in history and fantastically imaginative, The Storm “moves us deftly through time and across borders, beautifully illustrating the strange intersections we call fate, and reminding us how the past shapes the present” (Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty). Exploring the human­ity that connects us beyond the surface differences of race, religion, and nationality, “this powerful and important debut is a story for our time” (Library Journal, starred review).

Ratings and reviews

Arif Anwar quickly proves he has more than enough talent to keep the reader engaged in a tale that interweaves the lives of characters from diverse cultures over multiple decades. In the present, the story concerns Shahryar’s dilemma as a foreign student in the US who has little time remaining on his work permit and the added complication of a ten year old American daughter named Anna who he doesn’t want to leave. As Shar researches both the legal and illegal options for remaining in the states with Anna, the tension mounts and the clock ticks down. Although the love story between father and daughter centres the plot, there are many other love stories explored throughout the course of this novel. We learn of the circumstances that brought Shar’s adoptive parents together, of the love that blossomed between Shar’s biological parents, of the love between Anna's parents Shar and Valerie, and of the relationship between a Japanese war pilot and a British doctor who meet in a Burmese hospital when the pilot is captured by the British. Then there are the historical facts around which all of these passionate encounters unfold: the atrocities of WWII, the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, and the 1970 Bhola cyclone. Anwar is a wonderful writer. His gift with words helps to make a novel that tackles such a large canvas both palatable and poignant. A simple example from early in the novel: “They smoke and take in the night, the scent of unnamed flowers wrapping around them like warm scarves.” An example from later in the novel eloquently summarizes what Shar’s experiences have been like in the United States: “He looks out the window to the dark vistas rushing past, thinking about this purgatorial decade, an existence where he is both with family and without, a child and an orphan, a father, and a bachelor.” Lastly, this novel informs the reader about Bengali culture and history, something I’m sure many will enjoy learning about: “Like most Bengalis, the thought of a child voluntarily and permanently distancing himself from a parent is unthinkable to him, the importance of family in his culture so paramount, that there is a word for it—ekannoborti—a family of fifty-one.” I highly recommend this novel!

About the author

Arif Anwar was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh, just miles from the Bay of Bengal. He has previously worked for BRAC, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental organizations, on issues of poverty alleviation, and for UNICEF Myanmar on public health issues. Arif has a PhD in education from the University of Toronto. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife Si (Sandra) Lian. The Storm is his first novel.