Book review : The Colour of Thunder - Suzanne Harrison

Released at the start of February, The Colour of Thunder is the perfect book to read in the middle of a pandemic for some much-needed escapism. While we're pretty much stuck inside four walls, with nothing but views of snow and icicles to brighten up our days lately, this intriguing story will mentally transport us to the vibrant, bustling city of Hong Kong. I can hear the beeping horns of the cars, smell the noodles and soy sauce of the busy restaurants and feel the dense, humid heat of summer without even needing to step outside of my front door, let alone dream of booking a flight ! The book is written by Suzanne Harrison, an Australian ex-pat journalist who has lived in Hong Kong for over twenty years, so it's great to get an insider's sneak peek of life there.

The book begins with a killing outside of an orphanage, but the narrative soon shoots off in different directions, following various seemingly unlinked characters over multiple timelines. Switching back and forth between different periods, different stories and different lives can soon become complicated, as it's hard to remember all the different aspects of each character's life and history, but it's a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle - the individual pieces soon start to fit together to build up a bigger picture. As the book starts to draw to an end, we can see all the links and connections joining up.

As the title suggests, the storm of the century is on the way and this sense of impending doom and menace building up throughout the narrative leaves the reader feeling on-edge, always waiting for something to happen, looking to the skies to gauge the current atmosphere. The book focuses on six characters, each of whom have ended up in Hong Kong for one reason or another. With women flocking around three men who each have their own dirty past to cover up, the truth comes out bit by bit and, taking their past stories into consideration, it's hard to know who are genuinely "bad guys" and who are victims of their own circumstances.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £8.99

• Publisher : Legend Press (1 Feb. 2021)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 288 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1789559391
• ISBN-13 : 978-1789559392
• Dimensions : 12.9 x 19.81 cm

Disclosure : I received a copy of the book in order to share my honest review.