What do you think?
Rate this book
A Different Hurricane
Will their lifelong secret love outlast their insular, homophobic island’s rancour
Gordon and Allan, boys from a peasant background, grow up in neighbouring villages in tiny, violently homophobic Saint Vincent, and vow to be lifelong lovers in a secret relationship. Both complete their university studies in Montreal and London, respectively, where LGBTQ folk are tolerated. But their secret lives come at the expense of others — notably Gordon’s wife, Maureen, who is the first one to be irreparably harmed. Maureen has confided her painful secrets to an accusatory diary, and it is now up to Gordon to keep that diary from local media, and the unforgiving eyes of the authorities, or he and Allan will be the next victims of this beautiful and hidebound island.
Gordon and Allan, boys from a peasant background, grow up in neighbouring villages in tiny, violently homophobic Saint Vincent, and vow to be lifelong lovers in a secret relationship. Both complete their university studies in Montreal and London, respectively, where LGBTQ folk are tolerated. But their secret lives come at the expense of others — notably Gordon’s wife, Maureen, who is the first one to be irreparably harmed. Maureen has confided her painful secrets to an accusatory diary, and it is now up to Gordon to keep that diary from local media, and the unforgiving eyes of the authorities, or he and Allan will be the next victims of this beautiful and hidebound island.
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 11, 2025
5 people are currently reading
2676 people want to read
About the author
H. Nigel Thomas
15 books23 followersH Nigel Thomas was born in St Vincent. He attended university in Montreal and for ten years was a teacher with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. He is now professor of literature at Laval University. His published works include the novel Spirits in the Dark, which was short-listed for the 1994 Quebec Writers’ Federation Hugh MacLennan Fiction Award; How Loud Can the Village Cock Crow, short fiction; and Moving through Darkness, poetry.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 30, 2024
This contemplative novel paints a tragic portrait, one where deceit is a vehicle for both self-preservation and self-destruction. It employs an interesting framing device, using a present-day, active storyline as the basis to explore memory, reflection, and the journal entries of a deceased wife. In this way multiple timelines weave in and out of each other, in some ways showing that even as things change they are not free of the past, whether that be the traumas we experience at the hands of a bigoted society or the traumas we inflict on others through our own types of emotional violence.
With that said, there is something about the writing that doesn’t work for me, personally. It feels very earnest but also almost academic, or distant. I appreciated the histories and depths of the characters, and especially appreciated how the dialogue would switch into vernacular depending on who was speaking and whether it was a memory vs. a journal entry, etc. But the writing didn’t leave me emotionally invested, even when I could see all the pieces of the story that should have been pulling me in. The dialogue often felt very formal, and in general I never experienced a comfortable flow with the writing. Because of this, even though the characters were well-rounded, it felt like a history lesson’s explanation of their various characteristics more than it felt like an invitation to know them.
This might just be a personal thing. The novel certainly gives a good sense of place, letting you understand the religious and social atmosphere of St. Vincent. So there is an interesting framing device combined with a good atmosphere. And the use of journal entries explores both sides of a story that we usually only get one side of, which was an interesting take. I struggled to feel invested in the characters in large part due to writing that I felt was holding me at arm’s length, but that may not be a problem for others.
(Rounded down from 2.5)
I want to thank the author, the publisher Dundurn Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
With that said, there is something about the writing that doesn’t work for me, personally. It feels very earnest but also almost academic, or distant. I appreciated the histories and depths of the characters, and especially appreciated how the dialogue would switch into vernacular depending on who was speaking and whether it was a memory vs. a journal entry, etc. But the writing didn’t leave me emotionally invested, even when I could see all the pieces of the story that should have been pulling me in. The dialogue often felt very formal, and in general I never experienced a comfortable flow with the writing. Because of this, even though the characters were well-rounded, it felt like a history lesson’s explanation of their various characteristics more than it felt like an invitation to know them.
This might just be a personal thing. The novel certainly gives a good sense of place, letting you understand the religious and social atmosphere of St. Vincent. So there is an interesting framing device combined with a good atmosphere. And the use of journal entries explores both sides of a story that we usually only get one side of, which was an interesting take. I struggled to feel invested in the characters in large part due to writing that I felt was holding me at arm’s length, but that may not be a problem for others.
(Rounded down from 2.5)
I want to thank the author, the publisher Dundurn Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 13, 2024
3.5 stars to this sensitive portrayal of life in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is always a joy to discover new lands through new narratives.
A Different Hurricane deals with what it is to be homosexual in the Caribbean island of St Vincent and the Grenadines, where homosexuality is not just shunned socially but is also a crime. The story follows Gordon Wiley, a homosexual man who faces fear, rejection, hate and threats for no fault of his. Gordon grows up in a small village where all opinions are heard and shared, lives briefly in Montreal where he experiences an open and taboo-less culture around sexuality, and through a twist of fate, is forced back to the life he escaped from. Told through Gordon's eyes and partly through his wife's journal the plot explores the anxiety surrounding a double life and the will to create a better future for the next generation.
The prose is sensitive and reads like a stream of conscience. The only negative is that the plot switches timelines often and this switch is not as seamless as it can be. But on the whole, a very interesting narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC.
A Different Hurricane deals with what it is to be homosexual in the Caribbean island of St Vincent and the Grenadines, where homosexuality is not just shunned socially but is also a crime. The story follows Gordon Wiley, a homosexual man who faces fear, rejection, hate and threats for no fault of his. Gordon grows up in a small village where all opinions are heard and shared, lives briefly in Montreal where he experiences an open and taboo-less culture around sexuality, and through a twist of fate, is forced back to the life he escaped from. Told through Gordon's eyes and partly through his wife's journal the plot explores the anxiety surrounding a double life and the will to create a better future for the next generation.
The prose is sensitive and reads like a stream of conscience. The only negative is that the plot switches timelines often and this switch is not as seamless as it can be. But on the whole, a very interesting narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC.
February 9, 2025
There seem to be two types of Caribbean queer stories - unhappy gay man gets killed in a homophobic attack or unhappy queer person immigrates to a 'Western' country and finds happiness. In A Different Hurricane, H. Nigel Thomas tries to do something different - to tell a story of an unhappy gay man who lives in the closet his entire life. The protagonist's sexuality defines many of the pivotal moments of his life, but at the end of the day, it is not the only thing happening in it. I do feel that the novel is a bit more interesting and complex than the blurb gives it credit for. Instead of a tried and tired story of a doomed lifelong love, Thomas writes a portrait of a prickly, sad, and largely unsympathetic man. Gordon has a relationship with his childhood best friend Allan, then gets his decoy girlfriend (who does not know she is a decoy) pregnant and gets bogged down in married life. Both Gordon and Allan have experiences of living abroad - in Canada and the UK respectively - but both choose to come back to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Their affair ends, but both continue pursuing relationships with other men. Gordon ends up contracting HIV and giving it to his wife, Madeleine. The novel is told primarily through Gordon's perspective, intermingled with extracts from Madeleine's diaries. Although always focused on the central narrative of Madeleine's experience of HIV, the novel is less about homosexuality and more about family relationships and gendered expectations in SVG.
Madeleine's chapters are much more engaging than Gordon's. We get more of a sense of her as a character, and what shaped her and her choices. The prose is also more enticing and lively. By contrast. Gordon's chapters are drab, lifeless and often thematically repetitive. Some critics point out that Gordon's part of the story falls a bit flat, and that his supposed doomed love story is never centre stage. We as readers get little sense of this looming love for Allan. I think it is deliberate, and makes for a more interesting novel. Gordon keeps telling himself that Allan was the love of his life, but there is very little in his narrative to corroborate that. Ultimately, Gordon is quite a sad person with little of a sense of romantic love for anybody, and his inability to develop such a deep feeling is shown by Thomas to be the result of the highly homophobic society he lives in. It is also interesting to see his repeated reluctance to leave SVG throughout the years. He always has an excuse, but the excuses never read like reasons. Gordon explains his choice to return to SVG after his first experience in Canada by his desire to be a good and present father to his daughter Frida, but, as we learn later, he could have taken Frida with him, he could have even taken Madeleine and Frida with him. Gordon is a man whose light completely left him, even if it had been there in the first place. Unlike Allan, he also does not pursue gay life in SVG, risky as it is, choosing instead to find partners during his extended work trips abroad (it was interesting to see Trinidad and Tobago represented as a gay and gay friendly destination for local travel).
Whilst the novel is more interesting and nuanced than the blurb and some of the more negative reviews might present it as, there were a couple of things that did not work for me. Gordon's chapters could have been edited down. The secondary characters come across as flat - Frida in particular never felt like an almost 40 year old woman, instead giving absent 20 something daughter living abroad. Gordon felt very disconnected from what was happening to LGBTQ+ rights and community in SVG. I understand that he is supposed to be closeted, but the narrative tells us that he followed gay related books and news, and whilst it is understandable that he would not have shared his thoughts with others, I would have expected his narration to share them with the reader. This disconnect feeds into a more general sense that there is little sense of place in this novel and SVG never comes to life in it. Similarly to many other queer books I've read, homophobia is presented as a binary, not a spectrum, and it is shown as something completely unchanged over the 40 or so years shown in the novel. In my experience of LGBTQ+ issues, especially across borders and cultures, often the level of what is considered homophobic in one culture would not be seen on the same level in another (just to be clear, both are still expressions of homophobia). In other words, there is a difference between 'burn all the gays' and someone making insensitive comments. In this novel, most of the sympathetic characters are presented as generally accepting. It would have been more interesting if, for example, Madeleine herself had a bit more of a complex reaction to her husband coming out as gay after he's given her HIV. There is sort of a hint at complicating this picture when we find out that Gordon's sister May, a very sympathetic feminist character, turns out to be a 'kill all the gays' type of homophobe, but that storyline is dropped and never elaborated upon.
Homophobia also becomes sort of a moral compass, which overrides other issues. For example, Gordon's White neighbour is nostalgic for the British Empire/British rule. I was actually interested to see a bit of a discussion of Caribbean whiteness there, not a subject many Caribbean writers discuss nowadays. But then he becomes the most ardent advocate of gay rights, as his (mixed-race) son is gay. He is also the most vocal supporter of gay rights in the story. Without extra discussion, contextualisation and nuance, a bad faith reading of this narrative can be easily translated into 'only White people can be truly queer friendly, and wanting the British back is good, actually, as it is good for the gays'. A more in-depth discussion of these issues would have benefitted the novel, replacing some of the more meandering parts of Gordon's chapters.
Overall, not a perfect novel by any means, but I think it is still worth engaging with and discussing, and it is a bit sad to see an almost total lack of buzz around it.
Madeleine's chapters are much more engaging than Gordon's. We get more of a sense of her as a character, and what shaped her and her choices. The prose is also more enticing and lively. By contrast. Gordon's chapters are drab, lifeless and often thematically repetitive. Some critics point out that Gordon's part of the story falls a bit flat, and that his supposed doomed love story is never centre stage. We as readers get little sense of this looming love for Allan. I think it is deliberate, and makes for a more interesting novel. Gordon keeps telling himself that Allan was the love of his life, but there is very little in his narrative to corroborate that. Ultimately, Gordon is quite a sad person with little of a sense of romantic love for anybody, and his inability to develop such a deep feeling is shown by Thomas to be the result of the highly homophobic society he lives in. It is also interesting to see his repeated reluctance to leave SVG throughout the years. He always has an excuse, but the excuses never read like reasons. Gordon explains his choice to return to SVG after his first experience in Canada by his desire to be a good and present father to his daughter Frida, but, as we learn later, he could have taken Frida with him, he could have even taken Madeleine and Frida with him. Gordon is a man whose light completely left him, even if it had been there in the first place. Unlike Allan, he also does not pursue gay life in SVG, risky as it is, choosing instead to find partners during his extended work trips abroad (it was interesting to see Trinidad and Tobago represented as a gay and gay friendly destination for local travel).
Whilst the novel is more interesting and nuanced than the blurb and some of the more negative reviews might present it as, there were a couple of things that did not work for me. Gordon's chapters could have been edited down. The secondary characters come across as flat - Frida in particular never felt like an almost 40 year old woman, instead giving absent 20 something daughter living abroad. Gordon felt very disconnected from what was happening to LGBTQ+ rights and community in SVG. I understand that he is supposed to be closeted, but the narrative tells us that he followed gay related books and news, and whilst it is understandable that he would not have shared his thoughts with others, I would have expected his narration to share them with the reader. This disconnect feeds into a more general sense that there is little sense of place in this novel and SVG never comes to life in it. Similarly to many other queer books I've read, homophobia is presented as a binary, not a spectrum, and it is shown as something completely unchanged over the 40 or so years shown in the novel. In my experience of LGBTQ+ issues, especially across borders and cultures, often the level of what is considered homophobic in one culture would not be seen on the same level in another (just to be clear, both are still expressions of homophobia). In other words, there is a difference between 'burn all the gays' and someone making insensitive comments. In this novel, most of the sympathetic characters are presented as generally accepting. It would have been more interesting if, for example, Madeleine herself had a bit more of a complex reaction to her husband coming out as gay after he's given her HIV. There is sort of a hint at complicating this picture when we find out that Gordon's sister May, a very sympathetic feminist character, turns out to be a 'kill all the gays' type of homophobe, but that storyline is dropped and never elaborated upon.
Homophobia also becomes sort of a moral compass, which overrides other issues. For example, Gordon's White neighbour is nostalgic for the British Empire/British rule. I was actually interested to see a bit of a discussion of Caribbean whiteness there, not a subject many Caribbean writers discuss nowadays. But then he becomes the most ardent advocate of gay rights, as his (mixed-race) son is gay. He is also the most vocal supporter of gay rights in the story. Without extra discussion, contextualisation and nuance, a bad faith reading of this narrative can be easily translated into 'only White people can be truly queer friendly, and wanting the British back is good, actually, as it is good for the gays'. A more in-depth discussion of these issues would have benefitted the novel, replacing some of the more meandering parts of Gordon's chapters.
Overall, not a perfect novel by any means, but I think it is still worth engaging with and discussing, and it is a bit sad to see an almost total lack of buzz around it.
November 25, 2024
(Review of an ARC via Netgalley)
I have mixed feelings about this one. At its heart, it's the story of Gordon, a 60-something closeted gay man, living on the island of St Vincent, where a climate of homophobia has repressed Gordon his entire life. Gordon has been married for years to Maureen, who was entirely unaware for most of their marriage that her husband had a secret life, and whose diary of their marriage forms a large part of the book. On one level, I thought this was a really intriguing narrative device.
I feel like the tragic trope of a woman secretly married to a gay man has been somewhat done to death in queer narratives - I'm thinking of My Policeman, for example - and I was interested in reading a book that told this story from the woman's perspective, because I think this is often lacking. At times, this book really does this well. I actually found Maureen's character much more compelling than Gordon, especially as her diary delves much more deeply into her childhood, her family, and the attitudes she was raised with. This was an intriguing and effective way of building tension; we find out piecemeal what Maureen actually knows about her husband, and this works because we, of course, already know his secrets. We know what she doesn't know, to put it simply.
By contrast, Gordon's portion of the narrative sometimes feels a little shallow; he does very little for the first two thirds of the book except read his wife's diary and wait for their daughter's flight to land. After the two third mark, the action ramps up, and without spoiling anything, this part of the story felt a little rushed to me. The marked shift in tone from the slow, steady pace of Maureen's diary to the plot-heavy denouement didn't quite work for me; I think I wanted it to feel more cohesive.
Another element that didn't entirely make the grade for me was Maureen's character as a whole. Again, without spoiling anything, she suffers enormously because of Gordon's double life, and although we do empathise with Gordon's decisions and inability to live openly as a gay man due to the miasma of societal homophobia he experiences on a daily basis, I felt that Maureen was sometimes too forgiving. I can't personally imagine reconciling the effects of Gordon's lies as quickly as Maureen did. She's clearly a better woman than me. There were also moments in the book where both Gordon and Maureen seemed to be acting as didactic mouthpieces rather than characters, explaining certain incidents of homophobia within St Vincent politics in a way that felt like exposition rather than their natural opinions, and I wish that they'd been a little more developed.
Still, this book does a lot of things well. The atmosphere of St Vincent itself is done beautifully, with Gordon's colourful (to say the least) neighbours and family members, and the depiction of the social strata on the island. Maureen's mother is a particularly fascinating character, because although her actions are pretty awful most of the time, there's always a tragic undercurrent pushing her in this direction. I think this is perhaps what was missing for me with Gordon's character. He never seemed quite as torn between his two lives as I think he was supposed to. The fact that other characters did have this degree of nuance just made his lack of it more apparent.
Overall, despite not always jiving with the characters, I found this to be a really interesting look at life on St Vincent, and a valuable addition to the global corpus of LGBTQ+ literature.
I have mixed feelings about this one. At its heart, it's the story of Gordon, a 60-something closeted gay man, living on the island of St Vincent, where a climate of homophobia has repressed Gordon his entire life. Gordon has been married for years to Maureen, who was entirely unaware for most of their marriage that her husband had a secret life, and whose diary of their marriage forms a large part of the book. On one level, I thought this was a really intriguing narrative device.
I feel like the tragic trope of a woman secretly married to a gay man has been somewhat done to death in queer narratives - I'm thinking of My Policeman, for example - and I was interested in reading a book that told this story from the woman's perspective, because I think this is often lacking. At times, this book really does this well. I actually found Maureen's character much more compelling than Gordon, especially as her diary delves much more deeply into her childhood, her family, and the attitudes she was raised with. This was an intriguing and effective way of building tension; we find out piecemeal what Maureen actually knows about her husband, and this works because we, of course, already know his secrets. We know what she doesn't know, to put it simply.
By contrast, Gordon's portion of the narrative sometimes feels a little shallow; he does very little for the first two thirds of the book except read his wife's diary and wait for their daughter's flight to land. After the two third mark, the action ramps up, and without spoiling anything, this part of the story felt a little rushed to me. The marked shift in tone from the slow, steady pace of Maureen's diary to the plot-heavy denouement didn't quite work for me; I think I wanted it to feel more cohesive.
Another element that didn't entirely make the grade for me was Maureen's character as a whole. Again, without spoiling anything, she suffers enormously because of Gordon's double life, and although we do empathise with Gordon's decisions and inability to live openly as a gay man due to the miasma of societal homophobia he experiences on a daily basis, I felt that Maureen was sometimes too forgiving. I can't personally imagine reconciling the effects of Gordon's lies as quickly as Maureen did. She's clearly a better woman than me. There were also moments in the book where both Gordon and Maureen seemed to be acting as didactic mouthpieces rather than characters, explaining certain incidents of homophobia within St Vincent politics in a way that felt like exposition rather than their natural opinions, and I wish that they'd been a little more developed.
Still, this book does a lot of things well. The atmosphere of St Vincent itself is done beautifully, with Gordon's colourful (to say the least) neighbours and family members, and the depiction of the social strata on the island. Maureen's mother is a particularly fascinating character, because although her actions are pretty awful most of the time, there's always a tragic undercurrent pushing her in this direction. I think this is perhaps what was missing for me with Gordon's character. He never seemed quite as torn between his two lives as I think he was supposed to. The fact that other characters did have this degree of nuance just made his lack of it more apparent.
Overall, despite not always jiving with the characters, I found this to be a really interesting look at life on St Vincent, and a valuable addition to the global corpus of LGBTQ+ literature.
November 15, 2024
What a heartbreaking story. You just witness everything going terribly wrong with every single character (mostly, especially, avoidable errors) and can't do nothing but feel sad and watch it happening. It felt too bittersweetly real, you can swear this characters existed or, sadly, that stories like this one are still happening right now.
It's a slap on your face, showing how the majority of the world are still full with bias and the bubble we're seeing getting better for diversity still is a bubble unfortunately. And how, even though Gordon and Allen are in a very fragile position in the society they live, they still fall and take advantage of the comfort of relying on a woman in this patriarchy world. It's just so sad in every single way.
The narrative is very successful in passing the feeling of reading someone's reflection of it's own mind and life. Not perfectly scripted or answering all questions or precisely descriptions of past events. It was like Maureen and Gordon were actual people telling their version of their lives.
Just prepare to see a lot of injustices beenig taken and committed by all of the characters. Along side with their flaws and errors. It's a very messy morally gray confusion. There's no bad or good side, just catastrophe everywhere.
I wouldn't have mind sticking a little longer to the story, to see more of what happens in the future of the characters or how certain events unfolded, but that end reinforced the feeling that this is a real story, not fiction. And, in it's own way, it is, sadly. It only brought more veracity to the story in my opinion.
Trigger/Content Warnings: homophobia, domestic abuse, domestic violence, verbal abuse, aggression, suicidal idealization, suicide (off page, mentioned only), misogyny, infidelity.
Highly recommend it! Super sad, but a very needed portrait of reality for queer people in so many places on the world. Ended this book speechless, disoriented, heartbroken.
Thank you Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
It's a slap on your face, showing how the majority of the world are still full with bias and the bubble we're seeing getting better for diversity still is a bubble unfortunately. And how, even though Gordon and Allen are in a very fragile position in the society they live, they still fall and take advantage of the comfort of relying on a woman in this patriarchy world. It's just so sad in every single way.
The narrative is very successful in passing the feeling of reading someone's reflection of it's own mind and life. Not perfectly scripted or answering all questions or precisely descriptions of past events. It was like Maureen and Gordon were actual people telling their version of their lives.
Just prepare to see a lot of injustices beenig taken and committed by all of the characters. Along side with their flaws and errors. It's a very messy morally gray confusion. There's no bad or good side, just catastrophe everywhere.
I wouldn't have mind sticking a little longer to the story, to see more of what happens in the future of the characters or how certain events unfolded, but that end reinforced the feeling that this is a real story, not fiction. And, in it's own way, it is, sadly. It only brought more veracity to the story in my opinion.
Trigger/Content Warnings: homophobia, domestic abuse, domestic violence, verbal abuse, aggression, suicidal idealization, suicide (off page, mentioned only), misogyny, infidelity.
Highly recommend it! Super sad, but a very needed portrait of reality for queer people in so many places on the world. Ended this book speechless, disoriented, heartbroken.
Thank you Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
August 30, 2024
I really enjoy learning about other cultures and especially small countries I know nothing about. I feel Thomas paints a vivid and critical picture of life in St. Vincent over the decades. A lush and beautiful island, but the living conditions are bleak and infuriating - violence, rape, nepotism, and homophobic attacks supported by the government and by various fundamentalist churches in St. Vincent, combined with a claustrophobic feeling of neighbours spying on every step you take. To nobody's surprise, a lot of these systemic issues are the legacy of British colonialism and slavery.
I couldn't quite warm up to the writing, I got lost in the time jumps, and a lot of the dialogue, inner monologue and Maureen's journal felt a bit repetitive and as if written for the reader, not for the other characters.
The story is heartbreaking, the characters are morally complex, and there are no easy answers for the situations described in the book. I recommend it to anyone who likes depressing stories and would like to learn more about the dangers faced by the LGBTQ+ community around the world.
Thank you to H. Nigel Thomas, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC.
I couldn't quite warm up to the writing, I got lost in the time jumps, and a lot of the dialogue, inner monologue and Maureen's journal felt a bit repetitive and as if written for the reader, not for the other characters.
The story is heartbreaking, the characters are morally complex, and there are no easy answers for the situations described in the book. I recommend it to anyone who likes depressing stories and would like to learn more about the dangers faced by the LGBTQ+ community around the world.
Thank you to H. Nigel Thomas, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC.
January 3, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
This book really gripped me from the start. It was so interesting to read a book set on St. Vincent, a place and culture I haven't seen much of. While I have read many a story related to queer oppression and AIDS, I almost never feel like I'm reading a copy-paste story. Especially, in this case since it's in more current times and takes place in the Caribbeans. The writing was really well done, though I was a tiny bit confused in the beginning, and I really appreciate the journal/memoir parts of the story that give the reader a different perspective on the story.
Why it's not a 5-star read is because of the last three pages. I really feel like it needed one more short chapter or an epilogue to fully round off the story, but maybe that's just me.
Overall, this was a great reading experience, a great start to the new year and I would recommend it to anyone.
This book really gripped me from the start. It was so interesting to read a book set on St. Vincent, a place and culture I haven't seen much of. While I have read many a story related to queer oppression and AIDS, I almost never feel like I'm reading a copy-paste story. Especially, in this case since it's in more current times and takes place in the Caribbeans. The writing was really well done, though I was a tiny bit confused in the beginning, and I really appreciate the journal/memoir parts of the story that give the reader a different perspective on the story.
Why it's not a 5-star read is because of the last three pages. I really feel like it needed one more short chapter or an epilogue to fully round off the story, but maybe that's just me.
Overall, this was a great reading experience, a great start to the new year and I would recommend it to anyone.
December 27, 2024
Best friends, and erstwhile teenage lovers, Gordon and Allen, grow up on the homophobic island of St Vincent. They are both intelligent, and win scholarships to study abroad in countries where homosexuality is tolerated, and are able to form relationships with whomever they please. Yet both make the conscious decision to return to a home, where homosexuality is not only illegal, but viciously and violently discouraged.
The book mainly focusses on Gordon. Before he goes to university in Canada, he gets Maureen pregnant. She and their families insist that they get married, as the stigma against pregnancy outside of marriage and children born out of wedlock is so great on the island. Gordon, against his better judgement, is forced to agree. Thus, two people’s futures are decided – not by love, nor personal desire – but by the bigotry of their environment. Allen also marries a local woman, and the two ladies are best friends, though never seem to share what is really going on in their lives.
Gordon’s primary reason for returning to St Vincent is to take a full part in his daughter’s life. He wants to be the father to her, that he never had. Unlike many parents on the island, he will never beat his child, and makes sure that Maureen and their relations never do either. Likewise, he never beats his wife. They may not have had the happiest marriage - though that is not really dwelt on. When a disastrous situation arises, and he needs to confess to Maureen about having affairs with men, she stays with him, and does not mention it to anyone else, though writes about it in a diary to be handed to her best friend after her death. When they both become ill, Allen (now their doctor) gives them full support and medical aid, while keeping their secrets.
Later, another serious catastrophe arises – this time affecting Allen. Again, Gordon could leave the island, go somewhere more gay-friendly, and avoid the almost certain fallout. His wife has died, his daughter is full grown, independent, and living abroad. This time though, Allen needs him.
Why are homosexuals so often defined by their sexual preferences – as though they have no other sides to their personality – but straight persons seldom are. I believe, that for the vast majority of people, as they mature sex ceases to be the most important (or only) driving force. Coming out as gay often takes a lot of courage, but so sometimes does remaining in the closet. In both situations, one is ones own authentic self – defined by the decisions made or not made. We would all like to live in a place where our preferences are accepted – and that is the ideal. But, occasionally we have other priorities – family, friendship, career … And those priorities should also be respected.
St Vincent sounds like a nightmare – not just for LGTBQ+ people, but also for women. Violence is everywhere. Most men seem to be cheating on their wives. Yet, they claim to live God-fearing lives, and hence homophobic. In the 10 commandments, adultery and murder (which can result from wife or child beating) are forbidden. But there is no mention of homosexuality. Obviously God considered envy and working on the Sabbath to be a much greater crimes than same-sex relationships!
I did really like this book, and liked Gordon. Though I would not have made the decisions he did, I can respect them. I chose not to have children because I could never put their needs before my own, and if forced to, I would be very resentful, and probably a very toxic parent. I have friends who are out and proud, others who are more reticent, and others whose preferences I probably don’t know. All are wonderful people – and most of all, they are my friends.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author or publisher.
The book mainly focusses on Gordon. Before he goes to university in Canada, he gets Maureen pregnant. She and their families insist that they get married, as the stigma against pregnancy outside of marriage and children born out of wedlock is so great on the island. Gordon, against his better judgement, is forced to agree. Thus, two people’s futures are decided – not by love, nor personal desire – but by the bigotry of their environment. Allen also marries a local woman, and the two ladies are best friends, though never seem to share what is really going on in their lives.
Gordon’s primary reason for returning to St Vincent is to take a full part in his daughter’s life. He wants to be the father to her, that he never had. Unlike many parents on the island, he will never beat his child, and makes sure that Maureen and their relations never do either. Likewise, he never beats his wife. They may not have had the happiest marriage - though that is not really dwelt on. When a disastrous situation arises, and he needs to confess to Maureen about having affairs with men, she stays with him, and does not mention it to anyone else, though writes about it in a diary to be handed to her best friend after her death. When they both become ill, Allen (now their doctor) gives them full support and medical aid, while keeping their secrets.
Later, another serious catastrophe arises – this time affecting Allen. Again, Gordon could leave the island, go somewhere more gay-friendly, and avoid the almost certain fallout. His wife has died, his daughter is full grown, independent, and living abroad. This time though, Allen needs him.
Why are homosexuals so often defined by their sexual preferences – as though they have no other sides to their personality – but straight persons seldom are. I believe, that for the vast majority of people, as they mature sex ceases to be the most important (or only) driving force. Coming out as gay often takes a lot of courage, but so sometimes does remaining in the closet. In both situations, one is ones own authentic self – defined by the decisions made or not made. We would all like to live in a place where our preferences are accepted – and that is the ideal. But, occasionally we have other priorities – family, friendship, career … And those priorities should also be respected.
St Vincent sounds like a nightmare – not just for LGTBQ+ people, but also for women. Violence is everywhere. Most men seem to be cheating on their wives. Yet, they claim to live God-fearing lives, and hence homophobic. In the 10 commandments, adultery and murder (which can result from wife or child beating) are forbidden. But there is no mention of homosexuality. Obviously God considered envy and working on the Sabbath to be a much greater crimes than same-sex relationships!
I did really like this book, and liked Gordon. Though I would not have made the decisions he did, I can respect them. I chose not to have children because I could never put their needs before my own, and if forced to, I would be very resentful, and probably a very toxic parent. I have friends who are out and proud, others who are more reticent, and others whose preferences I probably don’t know. All are wonderful people – and most of all, they are my friends.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author or publisher.
May 4, 2025
I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads.
This book was okay. I believe it fell into a trapping of it's own devises. When you read the back of the book it leads you to believe that Gordon and Allen will be equally or be a large majority of the book but that is wrong. It's mostly told from Gordons perspective and some of Maureen's journal entry, with sprinklings of others. Gordon is at least to me not a likeable character and I believe the author wrote him that way on purpose, Gordon is a flawed human being but the author leaves almost nothing to like about him and his positives are things that he should already be doing. There is a lot of interconnected bigotry, sexism and bias that are brought up, some subtle some not. And while not every book should cater to everyone this book I feel does a disservice to a lot of the female characters, the male lovers are more fleshed out and not one diemensional then a lot of the female characters and that's sad because I know it would have elevated this book better. I wish there would have been more of Maureen to be honest as she was mostly well written and the book suffers for it. Allen unforunetly feels like a foot note and he too should have been expanded on more throughout the book. And then with the time jumps they get to be to much starting about halfway through the book, we go backwards and forwards so much you can lose track of what time you are in too easily. I like though the commentary that is weaved into the story for the most part, you can tell the author was commenting on a variety of different issues. Overall I feel like it had so much potential and it just got too absorbed with trying to elevate Gordon and his world that it dropped the good parts and jumbled the rest.
This book was okay. I believe it fell into a trapping of it's own devises. When you read the back of the book it leads you to believe that Gordon and Allen will be equally or be a large majority of the book but that is wrong. It's mostly told from Gordons perspective and some of Maureen's journal entry, with sprinklings of others. Gordon is at least to me not a likeable character and I believe the author wrote him that way on purpose, Gordon is a flawed human being but the author leaves almost nothing to like about him and his positives are things that he should already be doing. There is a lot of interconnected bigotry, sexism and bias that are brought up, some subtle some not. And while not every book should cater to everyone this book I feel does a disservice to a lot of the female characters, the male lovers are more fleshed out and not one diemensional then a lot of the female characters and that's sad because I know it would have elevated this book better. I wish there would have been more of Maureen to be honest as she was mostly well written and the book suffers for it. Allen unforunetly feels like a foot note and he too should have been expanded on more throughout the book. And then with the time jumps they get to be to much starting about halfway through the book, we go backwards and forwards so much you can lose track of what time you are in too easily. I like though the commentary that is weaved into the story for the most part, you can tell the author was commenting on a variety of different issues. Overall I feel like it had so much potential and it just got too absorbed with trying to elevate Gordon and his world that it dropped the good parts and jumbled the rest.
January 27, 2025
🌴A highly readable, though sad, story
4-4.5🌟 stars
I started off with a bit of confusion and a lot of characters and relationships introduced pretty rapidly, but then settled in to this sad narrative about life on a conservative Caribbean island and the double lives led by Gordon Wiley, the narrator, and his lifelong friend and former lover Allan. The women they marry as part of their masquerade as heterosexuals are unknowing participants in their act and all end up suffering. The author did a skillful job of portraying a microcosm of the attitudes of the islanders through the extended family, friends and neighbors of the main characters and the contrasting tolerance and freedom Gordon experiences during his sojourns to Canada.
Author H. Nigel Thomas builds the story from sixty-something Gordon's own thoughts and reflections and a manuscript that his wife Maureen drafted, to be kept secret and handed to their daughter Frida decades in the future, only after Maureen has been dead for 25 years. But Gordon has access to his wife's account, written after she had been diagnosed with HIV as a result of her husband's secret life, and shares it with the reader.
This novel resonated with me as I've lived in a few countries that echoed the attitudes identified here in St. Vincent. The descriptions of individuals, their lives and prejudices, felt authentic.
I'm glad I read A Different Hurricane and would recommend it as a thoughtful and realistic fictionalized account of societal pressures to condemn and sweep homosexuality under the carpet.
Thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
4-4.5🌟 stars
I started off with a bit of confusion and a lot of characters and relationships introduced pretty rapidly, but then settled in to this sad narrative about life on a conservative Caribbean island and the double lives led by Gordon Wiley, the narrator, and his lifelong friend and former lover Allan. The women they marry as part of their masquerade as heterosexuals are unknowing participants in their act and all end up suffering. The author did a skillful job of portraying a microcosm of the attitudes of the islanders through the extended family, friends and neighbors of the main characters and the contrasting tolerance and freedom Gordon experiences during his sojourns to Canada.
Author H. Nigel Thomas builds the story from sixty-something Gordon's own thoughts and reflections and a manuscript that his wife Maureen drafted, to be kept secret and handed to their daughter Frida decades in the future, only after Maureen has been dead for 25 years. But Gordon has access to his wife's account, written after she had been diagnosed with HIV as a result of her husband's secret life, and shares it with the reader.
This novel resonated with me as I've lived in a few countries that echoed the attitudes identified here in St. Vincent. The descriptions of individuals, their lives and prejudices, felt authentic.
I'm glad I read A Different Hurricane and would recommend it as a thoughtful and realistic fictionalized account of societal pressures to condemn and sweep homosexuality under the carpet.
Thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
November 24, 2025
A Different Hurricane is an emotional and psychological thriller set mostly on the tiny Caribbean island of St. Vincent, where virulent social conservatism vies with climate change and epidemics in propagating disaster.
At its core, the novel tells about love, loyalty, friendship, family, society, with many and varied plot twists. In a nutshell, Gordon and Allan, the protagonists, are childhood "sweethearts" who cannot show their affection in public and must marry women to cover up their love for one another. They study, travel, become professionals. Having experienced gay love and life in other more liberal countries, it's difficult for them to return to their island home. When Gordon fathers a child, their sexual relationship is put on hold, but they remain true and loyal friends and their wives become bosom buddies. The child is the glue that holds everything together until not even she can prevent the worst from happening.
Thomas's strengths as a writer are many, but in this novel he tackles perhaps the most difficult subject of any of his previous novels (of which I've read four.)
Nigel Thomas is such a consummate story-teller, so skilled in all the elements of riveting fiction that you won't be able to put the novel down for long. You might not want to live on St. Vincent, but you'd be crazy not to want to visit, even under threat of hurricanes.
At its core, the novel tells about love, loyalty, friendship, family, society, with many and varied plot twists. In a nutshell, Gordon and Allan, the protagonists, are childhood "sweethearts" who cannot show their affection in public and must marry women to cover up their love for one another. They study, travel, become professionals. Having experienced gay love and life in other more liberal countries, it's difficult for them to return to their island home. When Gordon fathers a child, their sexual relationship is put on hold, but they remain true and loyal friends and their wives become bosom buddies. The child is the glue that holds everything together until not even she can prevent the worst from happening.
Thomas's strengths as a writer are many, but in this novel he tackles perhaps the most difficult subject of any of his previous novels (of which I've read four.)
Nigel Thomas is such a consummate story-teller, so skilled in all the elements of riveting fiction that you won't be able to put the novel down for long. You might not want to live on St. Vincent, but you'd be crazy not to want to visit, even under threat of hurricanes.
September 3, 2025
A Different Hurricane by H Nigel Thomas, I just wanna say I really thought this book would’ve been more about Gordon and Alan‘s discovery of each other and impending relationship and although we do go to the past as a growing up we mainly start as Gordon reflects on his life throughout the book we also get his wife Marines point of view and how the relationship affected her. In St. Vincent being homosexual if done at all is kept secret and not something you flaunt like it is in America in the UK and although the guys do get to experience that they ultimately go back home and do what’s expected I do like the way the story was told but thought I should have felt more for the characters than I did and I also really thought the ending in a way after reading the book came out of left field it didn’t but if you’ve read the book then you know what I mean. I still would definitely recommend this book especially if you like books written by those native to the country they’re writing about because it gives a better more authentic feel to the narrative as it did in this book and I do think H.Nigel Thomas is a really good writer except for Maureen I really found it hard to care for any of them.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #HNigelThomas, #ADifferentHurricane,
January 11, 2025
To the outside world, Gordon had it all. A loyal wife, a brilliant daughter, and an impressive career. However, the intolerance of society and the fear of truly being himself, have caused him to hide in the shadows his entire life. Now, after the death of his wife, he is forced to tackle the consequences of the choices he made over the last several decades. Ultimately, A Different Hurricane is about forgiveness. Forgiveness from and towards others. Forgiveness towards oneself.
While the novel paints an important and heartbreakingly poignant story about homosexuality and the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community in St Vincent and the Grenadines island, I wish the author had delved deeper into the relationship between Gordon and Allan. For being such a paramount part of Gordon’s life, I didn’t get as emotionally invested in their story as I had hoped. I felt that some side characters were unnecessary to the overarching storyline and that time could have been better used.
Thank you to the author and Dundurn Press for providing a complimentary eARC for this review. I'm leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
While the novel paints an important and heartbreakingly poignant story about homosexuality and the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community in St Vincent and the Grenadines island, I wish the author had delved deeper into the relationship between Gordon and Allan. For being such a paramount part of Gordon’s life, I didn’t get as emotionally invested in their story as I had hoped. I felt that some side characters were unnecessary to the overarching storyline and that time could have been better used.
Thank you to the author and Dundurn Press for providing a complimentary eARC for this review. I'm leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
September 24, 2024
There's no denying that the story being told here is such an incredibly important one. I enjoyed it being told from the perspective of both Gordon and Maureen (via the memoir/journal entries), which truly showcased how the different characters felt and were affected by the events.
I can't say I'm familiar with the culture and history of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The author painted a beautifully brutal and vivid picture of the nature, culture, politics, and homophobia of this country. For certain this was the strength of this book.
I'm not entirely sure if the writing was for me - I found the time jumps to be rather distracting and made for convoluted storytelling. And the story seemed to end so suddenly it felt anti-climactic.
While this was difficult at times to read due to the nature of the story being told, it was still an enjoyable read.
I can't say I'm familiar with the culture and history of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The author painted a beautifully brutal and vivid picture of the nature, culture, politics, and homophobia of this country. For certain this was the strength of this book.
I'm not entirely sure if the writing was for me - I found the time jumps to be rather distracting and made for convoluted storytelling. And the story seemed to end so suddenly it felt anti-climactic.
While this was difficult at times to read due to the nature of the story being told, it was still an enjoyable read.
February 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the e-ARC!
I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately the premise is the only good thing about it. I do love the idea of this novel shedding light on the social and political situation of queer men in St. Vincent, but that is just about the only good thing I can say about it. Sadly, I found everything about it flimsy. Everything is exposition, with very little interiority. It’s a situation that invites nuance, emotion, and ambiguity, but it’s treated very simplistically. The dialogue isn’t believable; none of the characters are well developed; there are paragraphs upon paragraphs of poorly done exposition. I’m sad that I didn’t like this one, but I just found it to be a poorly crafted novel.
I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately the premise is the only good thing about it. I do love the idea of this novel shedding light on the social and political situation of queer men in St. Vincent, but that is just about the only good thing I can say about it. Sadly, I found everything about it flimsy. Everything is exposition, with very little interiority. It’s a situation that invites nuance, emotion, and ambiguity, but it’s treated very simplistically. The dialogue isn’t believable; none of the characters are well developed; there are paragraphs upon paragraphs of poorly done exposition. I’m sad that I didn’t like this one, but I just found it to be a poorly crafted novel.
January 9, 2026
Mark got me this for Christmas. A Vincentian author writing about life in St. Vincent as a gay man. The start of the book took me a bit to wrap my head around who was who and the writing. It made me think of my mom and her brothers growing up in SVG and what life was like for them. What her parents were like. There was a familiarity to it even though I don't know much detail about SVG island itself. Gordon and Allan having to lie their whole lives is just sad. We get one life, we shouldn't have to fake it. I wonder how common it is for women in anti-LGBTQ areas to contract HIV unknowingly. I think the book does a great job of creating characters that can both be admired and vilified. I wasn't surprised when Gordon stayed behind and was genuinely concerned for something to happen to him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2024
I love the way this book is written so much. The parts of the journal and then the parts of Gordon himself.
Honestly all the people in this book are so well-written and multi faceted.
This story absolutely broke my heart, especially since it's so real. I truly never really considered the wife's of gay men who got AIDS during the AIDS crisis. All because people decide to hate on love. Love = love, no matter the gender or the skin color of the people involved.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.
Honestly all the people in this book are so well-written and multi faceted.
This story absolutely broke my heart, especially since it's so real. I truly never really considered the wife's of gay men who got AIDS during the AIDS crisis. All because people decide to hate on love. Love = love, no matter the gender or the skin color of the people involved.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.
September 27, 2024
I received an ARC of this book via netgalley. I didn't enjoy this book at all. I felt it was badly structured and the use of dialect was not well done. I think the concept has valure but the narrative did not pull that value out. The first 60 % was so dull and repetitive. I couldny really get a feel for any of the characters. The latter part never really made up for that. I don't see how this book can sustain a 3.5 goodreads rating as it becomes more widely read
dnf
December 8, 2024I am unfortunately DNFing at 35%
I was really interested in the themes of this book, but a third in I still haven't really been pulled into the story and I find it really hard to stay motivated to read.
I think I will have to come back to this one as a physical book once it's out and read just a few pages at a time to finish it.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I was really interested in the themes of this book, but a third in I still haven't really been pulled into the story and I find it really hard to stay motivated to read.
I think I will have to come back to this one as a physical book once it's out and read just a few pages at a time to finish it.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
August 18, 2024
This book was very well written and well thought out. The story is heartbreaking, I couldn't help but feel bad for the main character. He deserved love and to be able to be himself. it's heartbreaking to see him struggle with the opinions of others and laws that surround him. it's even more sad because these are real issues that people around the world have to go through, or went through.
September 3, 2024
Overall, this was not the book for me. I did enjoy the theme and character development throughout; however, the fears were constant so it did get a little repetitive and the first three quarters of the book felt like they dragged on. I would recommend this to others because I feel like anyone who is going through difficulties with their sexuality might benefit from reading this.
Thanks to NetGalley/publishers for the arc!
Thanks to NetGalley/publishers for the arc!
Read
March 22, 2025An interesting exploration of forbidden love. Sadly I found that I wasn’t ever able to get invested in the story, it being a slow and ponderous read.
I kept comparing it to What I Know About You by Eric Chacour - which I absolutely loved. This came up short in comparison.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me early access to a digital review copy.
DNF
I kept comparing it to What I Know About You by Eric Chacour - which I absolutely loved. This came up short in comparison.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me early access to a digital review copy.
DNF
December 10, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing the ARC!
Way too long for my personal taste, even though in number of pages, it should fall on the short side. Specifically, I was only able to be emotionally connected to the book in the last 13%.
This was a difficult read for me, laying the groundwork with a terribly homophobic environment, a narrative jumping back and forth in time and place, sometimes riddled with diary entries, sometimes with an accent that I had have to put a lot of effort into decoding, as English is not my first language. Honestly, I don't really think that I can define a target audience for this book whatsoever.
One funny thing I could identify with is the fact that the sixty-plus pensioner thinking about emigrating notes that he can wipe his ass abroad with his pension in East Caribbean dollars. *cries in east european currency*
Way too long for my personal taste, even though in number of pages, it should fall on the short side. Specifically, I was only able to be emotionally connected to the book in the last 13%.
This was a difficult read for me, laying the groundwork with a terribly homophobic environment, a narrative jumping back and forth in time and place, sometimes riddled with diary entries, sometimes with an accent that I had have to put a lot of effort into decoding, as English is not my first language. Honestly, I don't really think that I can define a target audience for this book whatsoever.
One funny thing I could identify with is the fact that the sixty-plus pensioner thinking about emigrating notes that he can wipe his ass abroad with his pension in East Caribbean dollars. *cries in east european currency*
March 20, 2025
Interesting setting (I don't know anything about St Vincent but apparently it's very socially conservative/anti-gay) but I would not say the writing was the best. Some very clunky exposition as dialogue etc.
August 8, 2025
After visiting st. Vincent I wanted to read a book that took place there. This is a reflective story that is told through a journal of a deceased mother/wife and flashbacks of the husband/father.
The complicated history of homophobia and island life is told
The complicated history of homophobia and island life is told
August 5, 2025
Great book, of course tragic when people can’t be their true selves. Reading this while in St Vincent made me feel like I was in the car driving through Kingstown with the author.
April 23, 2025
I must say I enjoyed the writing in the second ½ of this novel a lot more than I did the first ½, although I felt the ending was unbelievable. The preceding chapters were far too scandalous for an ending so sanitised and mundane. I got the impression the author wanted to land the perfect resolution for this novel, but in my view, the story just didn't support this.
What I will say is that I think this was an important novel, especially for the times we live in. The Caribbean remains a very homophobic place and it is time more of these stories are told, to give representation to a community that no matter how hard others try, will never not be part of us.
For some reason, I also felt the author did an overkill with the mentioning of the races and complexions of characters, even peripheral characters, and I appreciate that this could be his way of making his characters seem relatable and real, but for a place like the Caribbean, I think only the atypical or unexpected character should be identified in the manner the author did. I definitely had an issue with the use of "very black".
I look forward to discussing this novel with others. Overall, I felt it could have been better, but I completed it. It's Caribbean literature after all. Hence, the two stars review.
What I will say is that I think this was an important novel, especially for the times we live in. The Caribbean remains a very homophobic place and it is time more of these stories are told, to give representation to a community that no matter how hard others try, will never not be part of us.
For some reason, I also felt the author did an overkill with the mentioning of the races and complexions of characters, even peripheral characters, and I appreciate that this could be his way of making his characters seem relatable and real, but for a place like the Caribbean, I think only the atypical or unexpected character should be identified in the manner the author did. I definitely had an issue with the use of "very black".
I look forward to discussing this novel with others. Overall, I felt it could have been better, but I completed it. It's Caribbean literature after all. Hence, the two stars review.
February 18, 2025
I enjoyed learning about queer people on St. Vincent. The story is a bit of a slow burn, but ultimately a well-told tale. After learning how the main character has spent his life, the resolution was particularly poignant and satisfactory. The author weaves fear, love, grief, and loyalty into a compelling story.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews