Malaysian author's debut makes 'Good Morning America' book club pick

A screen grab of Malaysian-born author Chan appearing on ABC's 'Good Morning America' earlier this month to talk about her Malaya-inspired debut novel 'The Storm We Made'. Photo: YouTube

“In Malaysia, I like to say our grandparents love us by not speaking,” says US-based Malaysian-born author Vanessa Chan.

“The experience of the Japanese Occupation is very much shrouded in ‘don’t talk about it’ and ‘let’s move on’,” she elaborates, an experience that is undoubtedly relatable to many Malaysians with family members who lived through that time.