Description

Every family has a secret: a dramatic family saga with a dark thread of suspense lurking at its heart.

The Tides are a family with dark secrets. Haunted by the events of one tragic day ten years ago, they are each, in their own way, struggling to move forwards with their lives.

Dora, the youngest daughter, lives in a ramshackle East End warehouse with her artist boyfriend Dan. Dora is doing a good job of skating across the surface of her life – but when she discovers she is pregnant the news leaves her shaken and staring back at the darkness of a long-held guilt.

Returning to Clifftops, the rambling family house perched high on the Dorset coastline, Dora must confront her past. Clifftops hasn’t changed in years and moving through its rooms and gardens, Dora can still feel the echo of that terrible summer’s day when life changed forever for the Tides.

As Dora begins her search for clues surrounding the events of that fateful day, she comes to realise that the path to redemption may rest with her troubled sister, Cassie. If Dora can unlock the secrets Cassie swore she would take to her grave, just maybe she will have a shot at salvation.

But can long-held secrets ever really be forgiven? And even if you do manage to forgive and forget, how do you ever allow yourself to truly love again?

Publisher Review

Set against the ebb and flow of the ever-present sea, this complex family drama is a page-turner of a debut novel * AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY * A Rosamund Pilcher-esque family saga, very cleverly structured and compulsively readable * THE BOOKSELLER * Assuredly written and impeccably structured, it excavates the emotional layers of family drama when something goes terribly wrong - think Jodi Picoult without the formulaic writing...Moving and darkly suspenseful * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD * The story of a family that almost tear themselves apart before discovering the ties that bind them. It offers engaging characters, tension and pathos * WE LOVE THIS BOOK * This confident debut novel is a dark but compelling read. The characters are so believable your heart will ache for their pain, and you'll be driven to ask yourself the question - could you forgive and forget? * CANDIS * The Tides in Hannah Richell's forceful debut are a family ... the revelations of what happened, and the burden of guilt the Tides carry, are powerfully evoked in a classy melodrama with very well-realised characters. Once you start reading, you'll be hooked -- A.N.Wilson * READERS DIGEST * Moving between the past and present it's a gripping story of troubled young women * STAR MAGAZINE * A compelling debut tale of infidelity, betrayal and tragedy that will have you turning the pages until the early hours * GRAZIA * A compelling tale of grief and forgiveness -- Fanny Blake * WOMAN & HOME * The theme of a cataclysmic event that continues to shape the lives of all those involved is central to Hannah Richell's ambitious, wide-ranging family saga * DAILY MAIL *