Book Review: Hurricane Trinity

Reviewed by Samantha Hui

An honest, succinct perspective on a perfect storm of events reflecting environmental and emotional collapse

Nature is impartial to the woes of humankind. Nature is unrelenting and will do whatever it takes to heal itself. It seems that the human condition, by contrast, tends toward destruction. In so few pages, Nick Rees Gardner’s novella, Hurricane Trinity, explores the complex contradictions that people suffer through: selfishness versus self care, freedom versus stability, complicated joy versus uncomplicated numbness. 

“There must be some balance between the overwhelm of love and its burden.”

Devin homeschools her children Andrew and Layla in their resilient, persevering house in Sunport, Alabama while her husband Ely is an adjunct English instructor at a community college forty minutes away from home. Their life is filled with little joys: they sneak in swims at the Sunset Villas Pools, Ely always kisses Devin goodbye before going to work, Devin goes for her nightly runs. 

“There is a danger here that keeps the blood flowing, the limbs moving. There is something bigger than Devin playing with her, pulling her out further then pushing her back.”

But Devin increasingly suffers from what she thinks are “summertime sadnesses” or “doldrums,” not ever quite admitting she has depression. Her mind wanders, and it spins; she is nervous about her son becoming violent, her husband having an affair, and the subsequent hurricanes impacting her children.

One night, while running, she follows a cat into the woods and discovers a crater named Tycho where a peculiar nomad named Trinity resides. Devin’s friendship with Trinity both allows Devin to be unabashedly herself while also creating a sense of uncertainty about what Devin wants out of life. 

“She misses and hates the freedom she used to have, the sleeping off hangovers, the waking up with strangers, and the balling up in her bed in the morning alone to, every once in a while, cry over missing someone.”

There are many parallels between the family home and Devin’s experience of life. The house is passed down from Ely’s eccentric uncle. In spite of the disasters quickly ruining Sunport Beach, the house stands firm and unwavering; strong enough to house a family. But at what cost?

Though the house is resilient, what use can it be to a family without a community or without an economy? Similarly, although Devin made it out of the frenzy of her youth and traded an abusive partner for stable and loving Ely, Devin still struggles because of her depression. What use is resilience if storm season always returns?

“To say she is depressed is to chew a mere bite out of the soggy sandwich that is Devin’s existence. It is more than merely missing Trinity. Maybe it’s envy. Maybe Devin wishes that, like Trinity, she could leave everything behind, be a person alone in the world, completely satisfied with herself.”

Hurricane Trinity is honest, gracious, and contemplative. The writing is beautiful and indicative of the author’s poetry background. Though the novella is brief, whole characters are thoroughly developed and perspectives explored. This book might be an emotionally difficult read for those who are struggling mentally, but I would recommend it to a wide audience who find themselves lost in the contradictions of life. 

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