Book Talk: Rachel Hawkins, ‘The Storm’

It’s being advertised all over the Internet as well as within several of the news services that I receive, so I had to purchase a copy. One reviewer’s comment that shows up often is: “Grips you on page one and doesn’t let go.” Okay. Sounds like my kind of book. So, I was somewhat disappointed when I got to page 50, then 60, then 70 and didn’t really feel that I’d been gripped.

But that’s not to say that the book is not enjoyable. I think it was just too enthusiastically praised. However, it’s a good book, kind of traditional (except for the “R-rated” language), and the climax is exciting, as the promotion promises. Moreover, it is very well written and, when necessary, it has an underplayed “southern voice.”

Hawkins has set her story in the present, although she incorporates several timelines. The plot revolves around Geneva, who has inherited the Rosalie Inn at St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. The little beach community is “famous for its hurricanes,” and the Rosalie is pretty much the only structure to have survived Hurricanes Delphine, Audrey, Velma, and Marie. And Lizzie is on the way. And, for an innkeeper, that means no business.