Goodreads Reviews

Reviewed by Shrabastee Chakraborty

For Tara and Catherine Pyfrom, a couple born and raised in the Bahamas, the ocean was not merely part of life but a way of life. Entire childhoods spent swimming at the beaches or cruising through the islands ensured that the ocean would always have a special place in their hearts. Yet, with the approach of each subsequent hurricane, the sea reveals its darker side, the once-serene waves turning vicious, the once-scenic views now a picture of destruction. With rapid climate change, there is an alarming rise in the frequency of such storms, giving the residents increasingly less time to recover before the next one hits. In The Ocean in Our Blood, Tara Pyfrom recounts the harrowing events when she, Catherine, their daughter, Hazel, and their five pet dogs barely survived Hurricane Dorian.

From start to finish, this book was a shot of pure adrenaline. Tara’s powerful writing and the real-time photographs Catherine clicked made me realize how the far-reaching impact of Hurricane Dorian shattered their lives, separating their story into a ‘before’ and an ‘after.’ Tara’s recollections were so detailed, the descriptions so vivid, that I experienced every second of those traumatizing days with them. I acutely felt every emotion; the fear deepening with every inch of the rising water level, the futility of an endless struggle to reach higher ground, and the utter helplessness in not knowing what the next minute would bring. Mere playthings at the hand of nature, each second presented a choice to them, the penalty of choosing wrong being a certain death. I empathized with them as the family was forced to start life anew in an unfamiliar country, stripped of a home and all prized possessions while bearing the invisible scars from their trauma. The Ocean in Our Blood by Tara Pyfrom is an empowering story brimming with endless bravery, sheer willpower, and remarkable resilience. I heartily recommend this book.

Tara’s honest account will pull on your heartstrings and make you want to keep your loved ones close. The absorbing story is sectioned into three parts—before Dorian, during, and after.  As someone with little or no knowledge about hurricanes, the author has done an excellent job of enlightening me. She went into great detail about preparing for a storm and learning to decipher weather patterns. Tara eloquently described what she was thinking while the storm was at its worst and provided images her partner had captured throughout. Floating debris, sewage, and chest-deep water—truly heartbreaking visions of destruction. Survival is only one part of an arduous journey. Rescue and the full hurricane aftermath bring on a slew of new problems—homelessness trauma, which the author addresses. The horror, joy, and sadness—”The Ocean in Our Blood” explores the far-reaching effects of a hurricane.

This immersive story will appeal to readers who enjoy nonfiction books about family and survival. Tara’s raw narrative is both heartbreaking and inspirational—it was certainly an eye-opening testament to the fragility of life and how we should never take things like shelter and safety for granted.

Tara Pyfrom’s THE OCEAN IN OUR BLOOD is a moving story of resiliency, identity, and the unbreakable bond with the sea that deftly blends the beauty and danger of Bahamas life. The islands’ rich culture, inner conflicts, and environmental difficulties are vividly depicted in Pyfrom’s expressive prose.  An uplifting read and poignant tale of bravery, camaraderie, survival and family. 

Through Tara’s vivid storytelling, readers are taken on a raw, unfiltered journey of survival, loss, and, ultimately, healing. It is a book that will resonate with anyone who has faced hardship, loss, or the overwhelming desire to persevere in the most difficult of circumstances.

The book was amazing.  I finished it in two settings. I couldn’t put it down. The tears were hard to control. Nobody could’ve done a better job protecting their family through this disaster. They are truly amazing people. 

What a remarkable story of courage, endurance, strength and survival. This book was so good and through my tears, I continued reading because I couldn’t wait to see what happened. It was very gripping and real and also encouraging to me as a Dorian survivor too. I was able to identify with so many of the feelings and experiences!

Dorian was a monster, one none of us will ever forget. We are all here, we survived and came out on the other side, hopefully better, stronger and more resilient!

Thank you for sharing your story!

Tara Pyfrom’s debut story of hurricane survival plunges the reader into a Category 5 nightmare and dares them to come up for air. Pyfrom’s attention to detail paints her idyllic island life with the richness of a Caribbean watercolor. From finding her true love, to expanding into a family of three (plus a small kennel of rescued and well-loved dogs), and building her dream home, native Bahamian Pyfrom immerses the reader in a screensaver-worthy life while revealing the tactics and reasoning she and fellow islanders have always employed when preparing for inevitable tropical storms. But belching 185-225mph winds which pushed the ocean over 25 feet above its normal depth, Hurricane Dorian was no standard storm. Part how-to (or how-not-to) weather catastrophic cyclones in the age of climate change, part terrifying treatise on how panic-driven decisions have haunting repercussions, Pyfrom’s harrowing personal narrative is a gripping lesson in finding inner strength to fight for survival, for family, for mental health, and to build a new future after losing everything you own.  The Ocean In Our Blood illustrates just what’s at stake when facing nature’s fury, and just how hard it can be to keep one’s head above water. 

Really. Really. Really. Really good book. Just sayin'.

I read your book in two days! After starting it, I just couldn't put it down! It's filled with edge-of-the-seat-moments, raw emotion, and beautiful language.

The sheer magnificence of the ocean’s natural beauty and power; the blues and turquoises woven deep into (the author's) soul. The sense of loss is poignant. 

In vivid detail, she shares (her) experience and the ensuing quest for permanent safe refuge with the reader. It unsparingly brings the realities of the world climate crisis to the reader’s doorstep. 

A gripping story of survival. You witness the anxiety, fear, strength, endurance and love of this family when their Paradise turns into a living Hell. 

A compelling and heart wrenching story about Love. Love of Nature. Love of Family. Love of Country. Love of Self. Experience the ebbs and flows in this journey of life. 

The way you captured your authentic self and made me, as a reader, feel like I lived it is wild to me. I'll never look at peanut butter and Ritz crackers the same way again.