Hurricane Season/Melchor - 4 stars

[Anita]

Brutal and extremely graphic story that builds like the hurricane in the title until the reader is so engulfed that they can't put it down. The story kicks off with the murder of "the Witch", a social outcast, set in a small Mexican town. The book doubles back on itself to slowly reveal what happened to the Witch, but it really is more about violence, poverty, sex, and how those three issues can intertwine.

From a literature standpoint, this book brings it with the relentlessly paced prose and the interesting way it unearths the story.

But I can't think of a single person (ok maybe Susie), where I would thrust this book into their hands and say "read this!". Dark, violent, at times pornographic . . .and yet there are glimpses of humanity, this book is certainly original and unforgettable.

[Joi]

I feel like this could be a win for me- but the 'witch'/paranormal aspect is a turn off.

[Anita]

Joi wrote: "I feel like this could be a win for me- but the 'witch'/paranormal aspect is a turn off."

So, I really dislike paranormal, magical realism etc., and honestly there's pretty much nothing in the book that suggests that . . .in this case, the witch is more like a "witch doctor" that locals consult when something ails them, but the role of the witch is very unimportant to the story. The witch character could have easily been cast as the local isolated villager, the ostracized person in the community, etc.