There’s nothing like a natural disaster that either brings people together, or cracks them apart. For The Night of the Storm only time will tell whether Jia’s family will survive unscathed. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts of The Night of the Storm.
Summary
Hurricane Harvey is about to hit Houston. Meanwhile, single mom Jia Shah is already having a rough week: her twelve-year-old son, Ishaan, has just been suspended from school for getting in a fight. Still reeling from the fallout of her divorce—their move to Houston, her family’s disapproval, the struggle to make ends meet on her own—now Jia is worried about Ishaan’s future, too. Will her solo parenting be enough? Doesn’t a boy need a father?
And now their apartment complex is under a mandatory evacuation order. Jia’s sister, Seema, has invited them to hunker down in her fancy house in Sugar Land, and despite Jia’s misgivings—Seema’s husband, Vipul, has been just a little too friendly with her lately—Jia concedes it’s probably the best place to keep Ishaan safe during the hurricane. With Jia’s philandering ex scrutinizing her every move, all too eager to snatch back custody of Ishaan, she can’t afford to make a mistake.
When Vipul’s brother and his wife show up on Seema’s doorstep, too, it’s a recipe for disaster. Grandma, the family matriarch, has never been shy about playing favorites among her sons and their wives. As the storm escalates, tensions rise quickly, and soon someone’s dead. Was it a horrible accident or is there a murderer in their midst?
With no help available until the floodwaters recede in the morning, Jia must protect her son and identify the culprit before she goes down for a crime she didn’t commit—or becomes the next victim. . . .
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
If you are looking for a thriller to start 2024, then you might want to consider The Night of the Storm. This family drama thriller doesn’t allow even the narrator to remain without doubt. Everyone’s motivations, decisions, and words are called into question when it seems someone on the inside might have killed someone. Jia’s family is rife with conflict, potential avenues of dissent. Whether it be traditional family roles, our desire to feel appreciated, or what we would sacrifice for the ones we love, The Night of the Storm is a ride.
Secrets will always come out and when we’re trapped together, with tensions rising, they tend to erupt. With a complicated tangle of emotions of not wanting to rely on anyone, on trying to appease expectations, what else can we do? I think the strength of any thriller are the characters. How universal, fallible, vulnerable they seem. What we would do when we are pushed to our limits and asked to protect the ones we love, or ourselves. We can think we would never do that, especially when we have never been asked to.
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While I think Jia was the strongest character, I felt that some of the other side characters could have used a bit more depth. I realize that’s hard considering the circumstances, but I think it would make the impact of some of the revelations and secrets a bit more meaningful. Overall, this was a solid thriller to start off 2024 and perfect for fans of family drama and the elements. Find The Night of the Storm on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.