Will their lifelong secret love outlast their insular, homophobic island’s rancour?

Gordon and Allan, boys from a peasant background, grow up in neighbouring villages in tiny, violently homophobic Saint Vincent, and vow to be lifelong lovers in a secret relationship. Both complete their university studies in Montreal and London, respectively, where LGBTQ folk are tolerated. But their secret lives come at the expense of others — notably Gordon’s wife, Maureen, who is the first one to be irreparably harmed. Maureen has confided her painful secrets to an accusatory diary, and it is now up to Gordon to keep that diary from local media, and the unforgiving eyes of the authorities, or he and Allan will be the next victims of this beautiful and hidebound island.

In this powerful novel, H. Nigel Thomas reminds us that shame is an outcome of an intolerant society, but friendship, forgiveness, and ultimately, love are choices that each of us has the power to make. A Different Hurricane, with its examination of love between mature black gay and bisexual men, is reminiscent of James Baldwin’s masterpiece Just Above My Head and Bernadine Evaristo’s Mr. Loverman. * Charles I. Nero, Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies and Africana *
In Caribbean society, where homosexuality is often seen as a secret vice, this is a story of unflinching loyalty and genuine love. For years, Gordon has struggled to fulfill the role of husband and father, all the while longing to face society honestly. In this threatening atmosphere, instead the dénouement offers a revelation of courage and lucid humanism. * Judith Elaine Cowan, author of The Permanent Nature of Everything *
H. Nigel Thomas guides us to the tempest’s deceptively calm eye, where each soul is revealed in subtle shades of light and dark and the faintest whispers of their human spirit heard. * Clayton Bailey, author of Optiques *
While Caribbean queerness always looks and feels different to its Western counterparts, H. Nigel Thomas opens up once again the always emerging Caribbean-Canadian novel to his signature LGBTQ themes of community, family, spirituality and diaspora. A Different Hurricane’s significant departure in queer Caribbean writing lies in its exploration of queer aging with HIV/AIDS. Told from multiple points of view, A Different Hurricane offers a portrait of a queer protagonist — husband, father, friend, lover — never before seen in the pages of our literature. * Faizal Deen, author of Land Without Chocolate *