Hannah Richell - SECRETS OF THE TIDES

Book review live on bookshow by Corinna Christopher 22nd Nov 2012 This book has nothing to do with the ocean tides but everything to do with the Tide family who come from Dorset. It is a compelling tale of infidelity, betrayal and tragedy and I found it a very enjoyable read. It is set in the present time with real characters who genuinely engage the readers’ attention. This novel follows the youngest daughter Dora who is haunted by a tragic event which took place in her past. Now with her partner Dan and finding herself pregnant she is filled with doubts about becoming a parent. The story is cleverly told in interweaving chapters that jump from the present to the past. Clifftops in Dorset is the family home and we go back to when her Mother Helen was introduced to the house when her father Richard first took her there. In due course they all lived there with her older sister Cassie. It was a magical time for them growing up in this rural spot. After some years Alfie was born an energetic fun-loving boy and the sisters had to make some adjustments in their lives. The tragic event which changed all their lives took place one summer’s day when Alfie was 4 years old. Helen who was having an affair with a local artist left Alfie in the cares of his sisters. They took him to the beach and some hideaway cave with a friend of Cassie’s. Dora left at one point to buy an ice-cream and told Cassie to watch out for Alfie. She omitted to do this and when Dora returned he was missing. Each girl blamed the other and when in spite of much searching by Police and coastguards there was no sign of him their Mother was distraught. His body never turned up and it was presumed that he had drowned. This terrible tragedy affected all the family deeply and the subsequent outcome of what happens to all the individual family members unfolds in the book. At the end there is some sort of reconciliation and they are all able to move forward. Dora learns that she must not take all the blame and is able to look forward to having her own child. This excellent book is the first novel for the author and had me hooked right from the enigmatic start. She draws much inspiration from her own family connections to the large house of her grandparents in Dorset. I look forward to future books that she might write.