Tidelines

De: Sarah Sasson

Narrado por: Vivien Carter

It's Sydney in the early 2000s, and Grub is spending the summer with her universally adored older brother, Elijah, and his magnetic but troubled best friend, Zed. Their days are filled with surfing, swimming and hanging out; life couldn't be better. But years later, Elijah disappears and Grub's family unravels. At first, Grub blames Zed: he was the one who derailed Elijah from a bright future in the arts. But as Grub looks back at those dreamy summer days, the sanctuary of her certainty crumbles. Was Zed really responsible for her brother's disappearance? Was anyone?

Tidelines is a tender coming-of-age novel about growing up in the face of unimaginable loss. It examines the stories we subconsciously write for ourselves, and what remains later, when we have the courage to tear them apart.

©2024 Sarah Sasson (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Must read for fans of Australian literature.

In our childhood and adolescence, much of our identity is intertwined with others. Infants will take months to distinguish themselves from their parents. As for siblings, their identities are defined by juxtaposition- comparison, competition, similarity, difference, familiarity and discomfort. This is what growing up feels like for Grub, the younger sister of Elijah, and we experience these feelings vividly through Grub’s perspective. As drugs and alcohol, dreams and desires permeate their early adulthood, will Grub be able navigate her own path in the world, amidst the powerful presence and crushing absence of her brother?

Fans of literature will be enchanted by the series of poetic vignettes that build the backdrop of Grub and Elijah’s life. Sydney and Australia at the turn of the millennium will be palpable. But amidst the nostalgia, Sarah Sasson slowly builds a sinister undercurrent as we wonder where the tides take Grub and Elijah. A must read for those who love Australian literature. 5/5 stars.