👶👶👶 Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson

After reading The Promise, by Ann Weisgarber (which I adored), I really wanted to delve further into the history of the Great Storm of 1900. So, having heard such rave reviews about Eric Larson’s non-fiction work, I thought I’d pick this novel up. I was slightly disappointed, in that I was not expecting the excruciating scientific detail that makes up a large portion of the book. It was just a bit too technical for someone just looking to learn more about the historical details of this specific storm and it’s circumstances. I honestly just didn’t see a necessity to digress into the butterfly effect stemming in west Africa, for instance.

Because of such painful detail, much of the novel lacked organization: statistics were thrown out in the middle of a dramatic scene, or an interminable list of names was given after just having taken the reader through a very disheartening incident. The incoherence in the novel was sometimes vexing.

In addition, in an attempt to further humanize the protagonist, Larson chose to include Isaac’s personal relationship with his brother as a source of drama, one that never really came to fruition. Therefore, it seemed somewhat inconsequential to the story line, when all was said and done. Also, so many individual and family names were included in the narrative, that at times, I lost track of their significance to the story. Of course, I understand the necessity to highlight some of the vital individual stories, but unfortunately, there were just too many to keep track of.

However, on a positive note, I did value all of the information more closely related to the Great Storm. Although there is great debate about the author’s historical accuracy (specifically by Galveston locals), and questions remain as to how much imaginative liberty was taken with describing certain events, I still think that Larson did a fine job of relaying some pretty significant events, and communicating the general atmosphere surrounding the Great Storm of 1900.

Read 1/18/16