Secrets of the Tides, by Hannah Richell, Hachette Australia, $29.99.
A cracking, taut prologue in which a traumatised young woman launches herself off a London bridge to be lost to the murky depths of the Thames sets the pace and tone for this highly accomplished debut novel.
Who is she, why is she in such a state of despair and is she beyond saving? These are just a few of an intriguingly woven web of questions that make up the patchwork plot of this emotional modern-day family thriller.
Time ebbs and flows as we dart between present, near past and long past trying to unlock the secrets of one family.
It’s as if the constantly present sea — along the south coast of England — has entered the storyteller’s psyche (which you’ll find it literally has, in a way), although calling the family the Tides is possibly a metaphor too far.
As we gather snapshots of the lives of mother Helen and daughters Dora and Cassie, it’s clear this is a family torn apart by betrayal, guilt and clandestine trysts, which rise to a head on one summer’s day of tragedy.
Yet there’s much more to author Hannah Richell’s writing than a cleverly constructed plot.
Her characters — and by these I mean her female characters for they are by far the strongest — are multi-layered and not necessarily wholly likeable (always a good sign).
Helen struggles with motherhood and, frankly, seems to be doing a pretty shoddy job of it, but emotionally, we understand exactly where she’s coming from.
Second-born Dora ricochets from mother to father to sister like a bruised pinball trapped in her family machine and we long for her to be able to grow and not repeat her mother’s mistakes.
Even Cassie seems crippled emotionally, but why? All does become clear and while smart minds may get there before the big reveal, it doesn’t matter because half the joy is watching our characters free themselves and breathe again.
A definite page-turner with unexpected depths.
About the author
Born in England, Hannah Richell, 37, emigrated here in 2005 after falling in love with Australia’s beauty.
She lives in a little cottage in Sydney with her husband, their two young children and a black-and-white cat called Lennie.
She only started writing when she was at home on maternity leave. “It was one of those distant things I’d only ever dared dream of,” says Hannah, who admits the inspiration for her debut work came from her own journey into motherhood.
Hannah is already working on a second novel.
Hannah Richell is a guest at the Sydney Writer’s Festival.
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