Author’s Note PHOTOGRAPH BY SI LIAN

Dear Reader,

Books are wondrous things — weighing no more than a pound or two yet containing within them an entire world. I am thrilled that you hold in your hands The Storm in its resplendent Summer 2021 clothing. I fell in love with this new cover the first time I saw it as it captures for me the soul of the novel. The Storm was my first book. I hadn’t published as much as a short story when Atria told me (to my delight) that they would publish it. Since then, my book has gone on to be translated into languages other than English, found a steady, growing, audience around the world. Sometimes when readers reach out to me through email or social media it still feels like a minor miracle that my book is out there — a silent emissary making friends on my behalf. For if you read my book, that’s what you are. I think every book should be a work of love, otherwise, what’s the point of all the heartbreak that comes with being an author? I assume it will take you much less time to read The Storm than it took me to write it, but I hope you feel the same sense of curiosity I did when I first had in my head the image of a woman tying herself to a tree on shores darkening with stormclouds. That image led to the first chapter of The Storm, which tells the story of Honufa. There are characters from many cultures and heritages in this novel, including from Bangladesh, Burma, India, Austria, the US, and Japan. There are settings ranging from lonely seaside villages to great metropolises to ancient valleys that have housed mute stone monoliths for a thousand years. I hope you will explore them all with the same sense of wonder that I did. Finally, if cooking holds any interest for you, please try the recipes included in the Book Club Extras section. I’ve tried them all myself and they’re delicious. Just go easy with the chillies in the chicken curry if that’s not your thing. It’s kinda hot. I’m delighted that you bought my book. Happy reading and I can’t wait to hear from you.

Arif This reading group guide for The Storm includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

From an immensely talented new voice in international fiction, a sweeping tour de force that seamlessly interweaves five love stories that, together, chronicle sixty years of Bangladeshi history.

Shahryar, a recent PhD graduate and father of nine-year-old Anna, must leave the US 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 leave 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 explores the humanity that connects us beyond the surface differences of race, religion, and nationality. It is an epic novel in the tradition of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance, by a singularly gifted and perceptive new writer.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. Why does Honufa pray to Kali? What does Kali represent?

2. How would you describe Shar and Anna’s relationship? Shar and Val’s?

3. Describe Honufa and Jamir’s reactions to the hidden letter and how they might differ. What do their reactions say about their characters?

4. Theodore Drake asks Rahim on page 38, “If your country is to be divided along the lines of religion—as it seems likely—will you stay here, or move to East Bengal?” How does Rahim respond and why?

5. Examine the moment Shar picks up Anna from her school. How does Shar see himself? What does the scene say about him in relation to other parents?

6. How would you describe Claire’s status? How is she treated and how does she treat the people around her? Did her behavior surprise you at all? 7. What defines Tadashi and Ichiro’s friendship? How is this made clear?

8. “We are in the land of gods and monsters” (page 107). What did Ichiro mean by that?

9. How does the monk challenge Ichiro? What is Ichiro’s rebuttal?

10. Describe Shar and Val’s relationship in the past. What moments made their relationship work—and what moments broke it?

11. Claire says to Ichiro, “As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world” (page 180). What does she mean by this, and why does she say it?

12. Ichiro mentions the concept of gyokusai to Claire on page 198. What does the word mean and how does Ichiro relate to it? How does Claire interpret the same concept?

13. On the boat, Jamir tells his father’s story. How does he describe his life up until then? What led him to become a fisherman? How does the boatman, who was mentioned in the beginning of the novel, tie into his life?

14. As the storm approaches, Honufa thinks about the role literacy played in her life. She wishes she could “unlearn the letters and numbers [Rahim] had taught her” (page 279). Why might she think this? Do you think this would have changed anything about the trajectory of her life?

15. How does Shar’s story come full circle in the end?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Throughout the novel, the characters often recall a story that was told to them—like Honufa, with her father’s tale about Kali—or they tell a story to another character, as Shar does with Anna. What purpose does storytelling serve in this novel? Why is it important that we keep telling stories? Is there a story that has made an impact on your life?

2. As an immigrant, Shar must overcome multiple hurdles as he tries to stay in America to be with his daughter. We also learn about Caterina’s obstacles. Has this novel affected your view of immigration in the United States? Why or why not?

3. Claire calls her act on page 204 “a penance.” How does each character show public penance for their behavior in this novel?

4. To learn more about the Partition, read this article. To learn more about the 1970 Bhola cyclone, watch this YouTube video. Zahira’s Chicken Curry This is an authentic, fiery Bengali chicken curry, the kind I imagine Zahira made for Rahim when they first went to Chittagong near the end of The Storm.

(prep time 20 mins) Directions (cooking time 45 minutes) 1. Heat oil on medium heat on heavy-bottomed dutch pan. 2. Add the first three ingredients (make sure oil is not too hot or they will burn). Serves 4 3. Sautee on medium heat until onions become golden and lose the raw smell. The base 4. Add chicken and fry for a few minutes. Onions (red, chopped fine) 2/3 cup 5. Add spices and stir chicken pieces so that they’re thoroughly covered. Ginger (paste) 2 tsps 6. Add salt. Garlic (paste) 1 tsp 7. Add hot water to deglaze as necessary. The meat 8. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. One medium chicken (cut up)1 (2 - 3 lbs) 9. Check chicken every ten minutes or so. The chicken should start stewing in The spices its own juices. Cayenne pepper (ground) ½ tsp2 10. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes, checking every so often, stirring gently, Turmeric (ground) 1/2 tsp adjusting heat and adding water if chicken starts sticking. Eventually juices will Cumin (ground) 1 tsp start to dry up and chicken will start glistening with oil. Coriander (ground) 1 tsp 11. Add enough hot water to cover chicken pieces 2/3rds of the way up. Give it a Paprika (mild, not smoked) 1.5 tsp gentle stir. and cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Garam Masala (powder) ½ tsp 3 cloves (whole) 12. Chicken is done when gravy has reduced somewhat and there is a beautiful sheen of oil on top. Just like in the picture. Other stuff 13. Garnish with chopped cilantro (optional). Oil 3 tbsp (canola or canola-olive mix) 14. Serve with hot Basmati rice and a nice chunky salsa of onions, cucumber, tomato, Salt 1 tsp (or to taste) lime and jalapenos.

1 It is essential that you use bone-in chicken cut-up into small pieces. The supermarket butchers will not do it for you. Your local butcher might if he (or she) really likes you. It’s best to do it yourself with a good pair of poultry shears or a cleaver. I like to cut-up an average whole chicken into 20 pieces. 2Adjust according to taste, but proportionately reduce paprika if you’re increasing cayenne. For an authentically fiery Bangla curry, use 1.5 tsps of cayenne and 0.5 tsp paprika. Lomo Saltado Lomo Saltado is a famous dish from ‘Chifa’ or Chinese-Peruvian fusion cooking. The following recipe from dinnerthendessert.com seems closest to the Lomo Saltado I imagine Val and Shar had in Washington DC on their first date!

Prep Time: 30 minutes Directions Cook Time: 30 minutes 1. To make french fries, peel and cut russet potatoes. Serves 6 2. Soak them in water for as long as you can. I soaked mine for a couple of hours. 3. This takes the starch out and allows them to be crispier. Drain, dry and fry. Ingredients 4. Season the beef with salt and pepper. 1 lb sirloin steak , cut in thin slices salt and pepper for the meat 5. Add soy sauce, vinegar, beef stock and cumin in a bowl together. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 6. Put a pan over very high heat. 1 small red onion , cut in thick slices 3 plum tomatoes , cut in thick slices 7. Add oil and on very high heat cook half the meat, brown on one side, flip over 2 tablespoons soy sauce and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 8. Remove meat and repeat with second half. 1/3 cup beef stock 2 teaspoons cumin 9. Stir in the onion and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. salt and pepper for the cooked meal, 10. Add the tomatoes and cook for just a minute. The tomatoes should hold before cilantro and fries their shape. 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , coarsely chopped 2 green onions , sliced tip to tail 11. Stir in soy sauce mixture. [minus the root] 12. Add salt and pepper to taste 2 cups french fries , freshly fried 13. Turn off the heat, toss with french fries Aji Sauce 14. Add chopped cilantro, green onion and serve with brown rice and aji sauce 1/2 head Iceberg Lettuce , washed, 15. To make aji sauce, add the iceberg lettuce, jalapeno, mayonnaise, lemon juice, torn and dried 1/2 head of cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the food processor and combine until 1 jalapeno , stem cut off [for less spice, completely smooth. Let sit for a few hours in the fridge if you can. The sauce will de-seed and de-vein] begin to separate after a few days, so don’t make too much at once. 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 lemon , juiced 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves 1/4 tsp salt