The Night of the Storm
The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
I was very excited for this book by the cover, the storyline, and it being Nishita’s debut novel. The cover screams mystery on a stormy night in an incredibly large house. I am here for it. The locked room concept had me ready for secrets, lies and murder. A wonderful, locked room scenario. Sadly, this book ended up just being okay for me. I wasn’t immediately drawn in at the beginning of the book, and I really felt the story was moving slowly. I just wasn’t getting that “one more chapter” feeling that just had me hooked, waiting for the next thing to happen. Unfortunately for me, it got exciting during the last quarter of the book, when I wish it would’ve had more twists and cliff hanging chapters.
Jia, a recently divorced mom, has moved to Texas to be free of her ex-husband and closer to her sister. Her son, Ishaan, is having troubles at school, putting a strain on his relationship with his mother. Dev, Jia’s ex-husband, is trying to become involved in Ishaan’s life again as he’s remained in Chicago after the divorce. Then everything starts going wrong for Jia after her move to Texas, and without Dev in the picture anymore. She doesn’t have anyone to help, and money is tight. Jia sees her brother-in-law Vipul who showing up during her biggest struggles as an act of support from her sister Seema. Maybe they are calculated opportunities for Vipul to save the day and make his move on Jia. Although Jia is not encouraging his advancements, his random drop-ins and suggestive texts all suggest otherwise to anyone looking in from the outside.
A secret affair, unwelcome advances, and family issues all come to a head when Hurricane Harvey hits Houston, Texas, and evacuation is the only answer. Jia thinks she’s doing what’s best for her and her son by following her sister’s guidance and choosing to wait out the storm at Seema and Vipul's house. Seema has also encouraged Vipul’s brother and wife to stay with them as well. As the flood waters rise and enter the house, so will tensions, as pieces start to fall into place and motives are uncovered. Some families will break and become unrepairable, but one will realign and become stronger than ever. Those who were once solely around each other as in-laws will become close friends. Who will make it out of the house alive and who will be swept up in the flood waters? Overall, this was two star read for me. I added a third because of the twist and the fact that’s it’s a debut author. I think that I would have advertised this more as a drama rather than a thriller.
