Nishita Parekh’s debut thriller, The Night of the Storm, is a locked room mystery with several different twists. The Indian-American family stuck together in a mansion is trapped by Hurricane Harvey as it hits Houston. And, the protagonist is a single mother of a young teen, a divorcee trying to cope with her status in her culture as a divorced woman while struggling to take care of her son.
Six months after her divorce, Jia Shah doesn’t feel as if she’s a fit mother for her son, Ishaan. The twelve-year-old misses his father, and there have been a few behavioral issues. But, Jia’s determined that he not grow up like her ex, Dev. In the face of Hurricane Harvey, though, she feels even more inadequate. She’s waited too late to even get water, doesn’t know what to do in the face of the emergency, and finally gives in and ventures through the storm to her sister’s house. Seema and her husband, Vipul, live on higher ground, and Seema assures her it’s safe. But, something doesn’t feel right because the neighborhood seems deserted.
As the family gathers, with the addition of Vipul’s brother, Raj, and sister-in-law, Lisa, along with Vipul’s mother and toddler daughter, it’s easy to assume they’re a typical Indian family, eating Indian food, and observing traditional customs. But, the arrival of a neighbor in distress, and the continuing storm adds to the tension. When one person dies, and, then another is murdered, Jia realizes she’s trapped in the house with a killer, and it’s up to her to save herself and her son before she’s implicated in the deaths.
I’ve read a few reviews of The Night of the Storm, and I have to agree with others. I found it okay, but that’s about it. Jia lacks confidence in herself and her son, and that’s difficult to deal with for an entire book. It’s understandable because of the role of a woman in Indian culture, and her struggles as an immigrant. And, Parekh does deal with that in the story. But, Jia is a weak protagonist, and it’s difficult to care about her.
The Night of the Storm was an interesting debut because of the setting during a hurricane. It’s the atmosphere that will keep readers turning the pages, not the characters.
Nishita Parekh’s website is https://www.nishitaparekhauthor.com/
The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh. Penguin Random House, 2024. ISBN 9780593473375 (hardcover), 336p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.
