The US Review of Books commended “Storms” by Maria Fernandez Snitzer because it’s “impressive through the vivid characterizations, engrossing situations, and capable prose”

A storm is described as a powerful atmospheric-related disturbance by dictionary.com. Every single one of us will experience storms in life at some point. Our lives are plagued by storms—those unforeseen occasions when adversity swoops in to jolt us. Everyone can agree that storms will occur at some point in their lives, and yet even as our environment is being brutally disturbed, there is another side of the coin. These storms cannot be avoided, but we can learn how to respond to them and keep our hearts open to the lessons that can be learned in their midst.

Has your life been shaken? Tossed by life’s storms? What do you do when (life’s) storms come? The fact that we all go through life’s storms is a factor that connects all people.

Maria Fernandez Snitzer’s “Storms” is praised by Kate Robinson of the US Review of Books, acknowledging that “the author, a Louisiana native, writes elegantly of the literal and metaphorical storms that batter the generations in this literary family drama. The story opens as protagonist Elise Charleville Steiner dreams of the calm her maternal grandmother, Lala, always displayed, knowing that life had a way of returning to normal after any storm. As the author’s debut novel wends its circuitous path through both ordinary and emotionally fraught family scenes over the next week, a powerful hurricane sweeps across the Caribbean, with landfall predicted near Elise’s community of Bayou Chouteau. It is a study of action and reaction.”

Despite the news report confirming her choice to escape, Elise didn’t want to hear any more forecasts, preparations, or predictions in the story “Storms”. Brad drove through the rain on surprisingly empty roads after searching until he found a pleasant easy-listening channel. Evidently, the Steiners paid attention to the warnings long before the rest of the community did. The children dozed off as the automobile traveled through the peaceful stillness of the lull before the storm, and their parents and grandparents sat in silence, staring out at the Louisiana wetlands that bordered the interstate.

When a group of paramedics and ambulances passed them while they were traveling alone, Elise felt her skin crawl. She could only imagine how terrified these people must have been, dealing not only with the discomfort and uncertainty of illness but also with their complete reliance on strangers to find a safe haven for them during the storm. Each of those patients was either someone’s parent, grandparent, brother or, perhaps worse, their child. Again, whispering, she said, “Thank you, God,” turning to face each member of her family as if she needed to be sure they were all still there.

Here’s an excerpt from the US Review of Books that highlights:

“As Elise and her family prepare to evacuate, she reflects upon more generational mysteries. Particularly haunting is Elise’s cousin Jacqui’s unrequited love affair, whose ending makes no sense until flashbacks spiral like storm systems through the present-day elements of the tale, reflecting the story themes of stormy disruption and coping with adjustments. This is not a simple, straightforward story, and the challenge of following Elise’s mother and aunt as they navigate the emotional storms of their past and present is made more impressive through the vivid characterizations, engrossing situations, and capable prose. This title brings to mind some charming yet tragedy-laden stories featuring Southern women by author Fannie Flagg and playwright Robert Harling. The monstrous hurricane undergoes a sudden transformation and makes landfall as a tropical storm in Mississippi. But Elise is battered nonetheless upon discovering her Aunt Kitty’s role in perpetuating an untruth about her cousin Jacqui’s true paternity. Hers was a practical decision turned heartless and cruel through the vagaries of feminine survival in male-dominated, mid-twentieth century Louisiana. Ultimately, life’s storms don’t quite disappear, as the author articulately and definitively demonstrates, but like the unpredictable hurricane and family issues, they are transmuted and recycled instead. The author’s engaging novel is sure to generate acclaim.”