Hurricane Coltrane

By Taya Okerlund

Hurricane Coltrane was a fun read. I enjoyed the setting of small town Southern Utah where the scenery and towns are so familiar to me.

At first glance Robby seems to be a bit of an anomaly, he just doesn’t fit in with the typical teenage mentality of our time. Some may see this as a result of true fiction but I find it quite encouraging. I’ve always believed that people can be pleasantly surprising, even teenagers. He is unique and mature and I like that about him!

Merrill was also a great character. It takes a lot of strength to leave your culture to find yourself. I admired many of his actions and I was always cheering for his success.

As far as the writing goes I thought Taya did a great job. I never felt hung up on the way anything was worded or said, which left more time for contemplating the story.

I had a few minor issues with some of the logistics, like the fact that peaches aren’t ready to be picked on the 4th of July (even in Hurricane) and no public school would allow a kid to start attending without proper registration by a legal guardian or parent. But I realize these were simple things that helped the story move forward.

Overall I would recommend everyone to read Hurricane Coltrane. Coming of age books are so often reserved for girls; it was fun to see some of the “fitting in” and “in what ways does my life have value” questions answered by a group of talented boys