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Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite
As a hurricane approaches the city, government agencies plead with the residents to evacuate their homes and head to the safety of higher ground. Most residents obey this directive but a minority choose to stay put and wait it out. Among this minority are Doreen, a single mother and teacher who is awaiting the return of her son Curtis, and her neighbor Richard Girard, a grumpy individual who refuses to interact with his neighbors, preferring instead to spend his free time staring intently at the children in the neighborhood. As the storm gets worse, they both realize they may have miscalculated their chances of survival and their only hope depends on whether they can work together. Interesting things happen when people have their backs to the wall as readers will discover in Balsamic Moon by Alan Gartenhaus.
Emotions run high in this drama loosely based on the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Alan Gartenhaus develops his story quite well, alternating between moments of high suspense and calm periods of introspection to weave a plot that tells two starkly different stories as one. His principal characters are beautifully described, leaving nothing to conjecture. It is quite intriguing to discover Richard's reasons for his self-imposed isolation. There are so many revelations in the novel it is difficult to believe the bulk of the story takes place in an attic. The description of the events fits so perfectly with some of the personal accounts from that tragic incident to the point that I found it hard to believe that this is a work of fiction. Balsamic Moon is an emotional rollercoaster and an excellent example of quality storytelling.
