STORM SEASON

When an injured Sydney journalist is stranded in a storm during a camping trip, she winds up spending a few days at the cabin of a wilderness ranger, leading her on a surprising journey of romance and introspection.

Music and fashion journalist Lien Hong isn’t looking forward to a holiday camping trip with her friends. Her career—and perhaps her identity?—is a little too tied to social media, and being in the middle of nowhere for days is not her idea of a good time. But she’s up for a challenge, and she has an adorable, if impractical, wardrobe. Unfortunately, almost as soon as she gets to the campground, she takes a little stroll and winds up lost, injured, and with a broken smartphone just as a storm is rolling in. Rescued by Claudia, a ranger, the two become stranded in Claudia's cabin when the roads are washed out. At first embarrassed and flustered, Lien begins to feel relaxed in Claudia’s home and welcomes the forcibly unplugged atmosphere. One evening when Claudia is playing her guitar and singing, Lien realizes she is also Claudie, the lead singer of Grand Echo, a popular up-and-coming band from a few years ago that simply disappeared. The two embark on a summer fling, but Lien is disappointed when Claudia makes it clear she’s not interested in keeping in touch. Lien heads back to her life in Sydney but finds her time away has changed her, and she feels restless. Meanwhile, their time together has inspired Claudia to face her past and pursue music again, and when she moves back to Sydney, she and Lien must decide if they have a future together. Henson explores an interesting lesbian relationship that begins as an “opposites attract” storyline but cants into a journey of two women truly finding each other after they decide to be true to themselves. The present-tense narration can be distracting, and the pacing slows occasionally, but overall this is a unique and engaging romance.

An appealing love story.