Book Review – Gathering Storm by Rosie Dub
A Novel About Having the Courage to Face the Secrets of the Past
Experienced editor and creative writing instructor Rosie Dub’s debut novel Gathering Storm contrasts the Herefordshire countryside with the sparseness of the Australian outback in a novel that explores the damage caused by lies and betrayed trust, the liberating power of facing the truth and the unavoidable influence of family.
Gathering Storm Summary
English artist Storm Cizekova has a family history filled with pain and secrets. Her great-grandmother Millie was outcast from her Romany family when she became pregnant at the age of 15 to a non-Romany (Gadje) man, whom she married. The couple escaped to England to raise their daughter Irene in safety just before the persecution of the Romany people by Hitler in World War 2.
Her grandmother Irene was a young single mother and Storm has been told that her own mother, Kita, died giving birth to her. The truth about Kita is revealed in photo that Storm finds after her grandmother’s death. The photo shows Kita in the Australian outback holding Storm as a toddler.
Disillusioned, angry and confused, Storm journeys to Australia looking for details of her mother’s past and trying to discern the truth from the many lies she has been told. Her gradual understanding of what motivated the choices made by her mother and grandmother leads Storm to acknowledge her flaws and weaknesses and make some long avoided decisions about her own future.
A Journey of Self-Discovery
While the concept of revisiting the past and assessing the generational influence of women is hardly an unusual theme in women’s fiction, Gathering Storm manages to rise above many of the other titles in this genre to hold the reader’s attention from start to finish.
Storm is a believable, complex and interesting character. Her artistic temperament and perceptions allows Dub the opportunity to create a very visually evocative backdrop for the novel. Storm views her surroundings and other characters with an artist’s eye, noticing the quirks, contrasts, anomalies and subtle details that help to create very real and authentic images in the mind of the reader.
Readers are able to connect with Storm’s first person narration and also with Kita through her diary, which Storm discovers in her grandmother’s home. An element of suspense, with the gradual revelation of the circumstances leading up to Kita’s death when Storm was a young child, adds to the appeal of the novel.
An Engaging and Enjoyable Novel
Gathering Storm works well as both a novel exploring one character’s need to define herself and also an examination of the way an individual’s personal history influences their behaviour and character. Four generations of women – Millie, Irene, Kita and Storm – demonstrate the power of the past to influence the future.
Storm’s journey through central Australia in a Kombi van offers moments of amusement, the descriptions of the landscape convey the contrasting beauty and danger of the outback, Millie’s Romany background is a fascinating historical link and Storm’s emotional journey provides readers with something substantial to ponder. Combined with the air of mystery surrounding Kita, Gathering Storm is enjoyable and easy to read and an ideal book to curl up with on a cold weekend.
Gathering Storm (ISBN: 978-0-14-300951-1, 373 pages)
Related article:
Book Review – The Steele Diaries by Wendy James
Gathering Storm by Rosie Dub
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles