Throughout the years, I've mostly managed to avoid books that are horrible in the conventional meaning of the word. I've come across even fewer books that were horrible in the sense of being highly unpleasant and shocking. Hurricane Season is just such a book.
I don't think I've read anything this bleak since A Little Life, except Hurricane Season feels much grittier and grounded.
There's no suffering for suffering's sake, just the perfect storm that arises when degenerates with fucked up upbringings who've spent their whole lives trapped in hopeless hellholes stand in each other's way of supposedly achieving progress.
Parts of the book are downright vile. I am not a prude, but some themes the book explores would likely be enough to make even more sexually liberated individuals than myself feel squeamish. If you know, you know.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, I am neither trashing the story nor the Melchor's competent writing. It's just one of those books, love it or hate it, you can't stay indifferent towards. It moved me, for better or worse, which not many stories are able to do anymore.
Should you read it? If you want to explore the depths of human depravity, yeah, go ahead. I just picked it up because it's among r/truelit's favorites, and nothing in the blurb prepared me for the contents. I'm glad I read it, but it's the type of experience you'd only want to go through once.
Bonus lighthearted eyebleach ending – at first, I accidentally got another book called Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton. Started reading that one and was confused by the simple prose and warm themes. Turns out it's a kind of feel good chic lit about finding oneself lol. Definitely not my cup of tea, but it was interesting enough and wholesome, so I completed it.
What a contrast, though!
by Mind101