The Returning Tide
This beautifully written novel slips effortlessly in time between 2015 and 1943 as the complex relationship between two sisters, Adele and Amelia, are intriguingly revealed. Events unfold between the striking settings of Cornwall, England and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, both past and present.
1943: The sisters enlist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, but are separated for the first time in their lives. One is more outgoing and adventurous, seeking love, whereas the other is quieter and more home-based. Letters reveal much about their personalities, passions and this period of turmoil.
2015: The truth begins to unravel through the events of the present: a Cornish wedding where Peta is talking to her grandmother in the family home, Windward, and Lara, who is spending her time with her ‘Grandie’ as he lives through his last hours in Eventide, Cape Cod.
The characters are engaging across the generations. The loss of a much-loved elderly relative is shown sensitively. I was drawn into this story from the first pages; there are so many unanswered questions to find answers to as the pace quickens and the plot deepens. There are many words that could describe this story: engaging, complex, romantic, sad or simply brilliant. Contrasts between the breathtaking settings of peacetime Cornwall and the horrendous lingering effects of the war are accurately depicted in the lives of both young and old. Betrayal, love, hurt and destiny all play a part in this poignant and totally absorbing novel.
