Hurricane Girl

A novel

By: Marcy Dermansky

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

A propulsive and daring new novel by the author of Very Nice about a woman on the run from catastrophe, searching for love, home, a swimming pool, and for someone who can perhaps stop the bleeding from her head.

“The novel surprises us by blending visceral horror with laugh-out-loud humor.... A wickedly entertaining read from first to last.” —New York Times Book Review

"A strange and hypnotic journey in the aftermath of a natural disaster, Dermansky nails the sensation of being alive, of navigating a world so strange that it’s almost a dream." —Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here

Allison Brody is thirty-two and newly arrived on the East Coast after just managing to flee her movie producer boyfriend. She has some money, saved up from years of writing and waitressing, and so she spends it, buying a small house on the beach. But then a Category 3 hurricane makes landfall and scatters her home up and down the shore, leaving Allison adrift.

Should she go home from the bar with the strange cameraman and stay in his guest room? Is that a glass vase he smashed on her skull? Can she wipe the blood from her eyes, get in her car, and drive to her mother’s? Does she really love the brain surgeon who saved her, or is she just using him for his swimming pool? And is it possible to ever truly heal without seeking some measure of revenge?

A gripping, provocative novel that walks a knife’s edge between comedy and horror, Hurricane Girl is the work of a singular talent, a novelist unafraid to explore the intersection of love, sex, violence, and freedom—while celebrating the true joy that can be found in a great swim and a good turkey sandwich.

Not What I Expected

This is my opinion and not a criticism of the story or author. Not sure what I thought this story was about.

This story seesaws between comedy and horror. One moment I’m cracking up at how ridiculous/funny Allison is and the next, wanting to scream at her because she is an idiot who is about to get herself killed.

I was expecting a revelation about Allison’s mental health which was never really discussed. I wanted there to be something wrong with her, because that would explain everything she does or does not do. You can’t blame everything on a certain event. Now I’m wondering if I was a bit too judgmental of her. Was the ending satisfying enough. Was that the conclusion, the closure I needed?
I wanted more. A harsher punishment for the cameraman. A more developed love story between Allison and Danny. More about the relationship between Allison and her brother. The full story on her father’s illnesses and death. And what happens next for/to Allison. Because the ending…

I still would recommend this book because it isn’t bad. Allison is a different type of character and on some level I can relate a bit to her. She doesn’t deal with stuff when and how she should. But why dictate how people should or shouldn’t react in certain situations.

4 stars because **I** wanted more.

It ended so abruptly. I really liked Allison.

I wanted to know what happened to Allison. It was so confusing at the end. Was she pregnant, did she marry the doctor, was she brain damaged, what happened to her property. The ending is so dissappointing.

Love it or hate it

I definitely fall into the love it category ( other reviews obviously not). This book has a quirky, sly humor and and a great central character. The narrator was fantastic ! She really brought the book to the next level 🙂

Beware of women with traumatic brain injuries

Some of the story was interesting, thinking about how someone with a brain injury perceives the world. But in general, she didn’t seem terribly likeable before her injury (admittedly only briefly seen) but she definitely was unpleasantly self-absorbed afterwards, and I didn’t like spending time with her.

Big Let Down

I was really into the story about 1/3 of the way through. Then it became ridiculous (which is great!) and then boring with a bunch of story that doesn’t really pertain to the plot.

All of that being said - I love this narrator! She could read every book on the planet and it still wouldn’t be enough. She has a fantastic voice with great inflection.