"In O’Leary’s brief novel set in rural Michigan, a widower contemplates his life as he hopes for rescue during a natural disaster.

The story opens with Seamus (who recently lost his beloved wife, Marie), huddling in the bathtub of his secluded cabin, seeking safety from a violent storm. When it grows into a deadly tornado, his small dwelling is crushed by the surrounding trees, trapping Seamus inside. Badly injured, he thinks of his daughter Faith, and especially his young grandchildren, Timmy and Casey. What follows is a race against time as Faith’s husband, Jeff, along with others from the tightknit community, work to clear the devastation and rescue Seamus. With only memories to keep him company, the widower wonders if help will come in time, or if death will reunite him with Marie. As the narrative unfolds in alternating chapters, readers will be drawn into the protagonist’s heart-wrenching emotional and physical struggles, and they’ll admire the relentless determination of those working to save him. O’Leary’s accessible prose and succinct, compelling chapters generate an irresistible sense of momentum, and amid the turmoil, the author lightly weaves a subtle thread of spirituality in the narrative to offer comfort and reflection: “Every stargazing night was different. It might just be the alignment of the planets or an abundance of falling stars….But the one constant was always there. In the immensity of the universe, Marie and I had found each other.” Readers of O’Leary’s previous works, such as Emmet and the Boy: A Story of Endless Love and Hope (2019), may recognize familiar themes, but they won’t find them to be a distraction."

-Kirkus Review