Diego Hojraj

Gabriel's Storm Diego Hojraj

"Are you sure, Gabriel? Are you sure you're not troubled as well?" Priti asks at their first encounter. "I don't think so, Priti, but trouble always seems to find me." Gabriel replies. Gabriel carries the weight of guilt over his older brother's suicide for much of his childhood until a seminal event at the start of adolescence reminds him of a forgotten detail from that tragic night. Gabriel sets his sights on Jack Winter, an elderly neighbor whom he now suspects as having molested his brother, driving him to suicide, and he vows to avenge his brother's death. The seed of this revenge grows and grows until the start of summer of 1983, after his last year of high school. Knowing that his group of friends will soon disperse, Gabriel reveals his plan to kill Mr. Winter. Two people with their own hidden skeletons enter his life during the summer of '83, uncle Leon, an Israeli soldier back to visit after his participation in the Lebanon War, and Priti, a beautiful girl with her own hidden scars. But despite the positive influences of these two people in his life, Gabriel has lived too long with anger and despair, and the only way to exorcise the haunting images of his brother's swinging body is to honor his vow for revenge.

"Crafty, enticing fiction incorporating engaging themes of friendship and conspiracy." - Kirkus review

"Gabriel's Storm is a thoughtful coming-of-age story deftly set around a captivating crime plot." - Clarion review

"Gabriel's Storm is a fantastic read that is easy to follow and fall in love with. I was thinking about the characters long after I finished reading." - Manhattan Book Review