In A Different Hurricane, H. Nigel Thomas weaves a story where the storm is both a literal force—it’s set during the week that Hurricane Irma hits the Caribbean—and a its also a metaphor for the inner storms that rage within and around his characters and their choices. The story explores themes of societal pressure, the cost of conformity and identity.
Growing up in neighbouring villages on the tiny island nation of St Vincent, teenage best friends Gordon and Allen are secret lovers until they are forced apart their community’s traditional expectations and their fear of how others will react. They each complete their university studies abroad, encountering worlds where there is less hostility toward LGBTQ+ people. Tempted to stay, both men ultimately return home, hiding who they are.
This being his 14th book it drew a lot from his personal journey, He recounts his engagement to a woman in Saint Vincent, a decision rooted in the pressure to conform. “I was engaged to be married, and I was quite prepared to do the masking thing,” he says to the CONTACT.
The story is told from both Gordon’s and Maureen’s perspectives, It dismantles the notion of simple narratives. Maureen is neither the passive victim nor the scorned wife; rather, she is a woman who knows more than she lets on. Writing from both viewpoints required a delicate balance, but for Thomas, the challenge was not in embodying Maureen’s voice—it was in doing justice to the emotional weight of her story.
My closest friends are generally women,” he explains. “Being marginalized myself, I’ve always had a natural sympathy for the female experience, particularly in the Caribbean, where women face intense oppression.”
Yet, Thomas’s writing is not just about personal identity; it is also about responsibility. In crafting characters like Gordon and Alan—men whose actions cause pain—Thomas had to strike a delicate balance. How does one hold characters accountable while also making them sympathetic? “I believe in basic human decency,” he says. “My protagonists are flawed, but they try to do their best within their circumstances.” Gordon, for example, hides his bisexuality from his wife, Maureen, fearing the societal consequences. Despite his deception, he remains a devoted father and a caring husband in many ways.
Thomas is keen for readers to reflect on parenting. “That’s a huge thing for me in all of my novels,” he states. He wants audiences to consider what good parenting looks like, particularly in Caribbean culture, where children are often subjected to harsh discipline for minor infractions. Additionally, he urges readers to examine the consequences of forcing same-sex relationships into secrecy, emphasizing the emotional and societal damage caused by intolerance.
A Different Hurricane was published by Dundurn Press and is available in bookstores in Montreal and across Canada and online on amazon.ca. To learn more about Nigel Thomas and his work visit his website: https://hnigelthomas.org
