Review: Into the Hurricane

Into the Hurricane
by Neil Connelly

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: June 27, 2017

INTO THE HURRICANE is pretty much about what you’d expect it to be about: two kids getting trapped in a city while a category 5 hurricane passes right through it. Eli, one of the protagonists, is a depressed teenager who witnessed his older sister die. While Eli has some extreme views on life, he is a very relatable character due to his interests. Max, on the other hand, initially seems to be the complete opposite of Eli, but throughout the book, we see that they really have more and more in common than either they or we realized. As expected, a relationship forms between Eli and Max, but I really liked that it was formed appropriately over time, and never even started until the end of the book. I really liked this because it portrays a sense of realism, and does not distract anyone from the real threat. The main antagonist in this book is not the rifle wielding, car stealing, cult-like family they encounter, but Hurricane Celeste, which threatens everyone on the island.

This book really reminded me of THE MARTIAN, due to its “man vs. nature” theme. They both have their environments try to destroy their protagonists. The characters somehow find a way to escape, only to have another disaster sent to them. There is some death caused by the hurricane, but in my opinion, there was not enough. While unfortunate, I feel it would have been more realistic if at least one more character died due to the hurricane.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and while I had some minor problems with it, it was not enough to detract from my enjoyment of reading it. INTO THE HURRICANE is a bit shorter that I would have liked for this plot, but Connelly has still done a great job for the length that it is. This thriller really allows you to relate to its nicely developed characters, while still telling a great story.