Review of 'Daughters of the Tide' by Arianne James
Review of 'Daughters of the Tide' by Arianne James
Release date: May 26th, 2026
Publisher: HQ Fiction
REVIEW
This atmospheric, complex, poetic and lyrical feast is pure delight for the senses and imagination. Liquid beauty with a prose that is dream-like. Daughters of the Tide is historical fiction laced with gothic elements that has a gentle ebb and flow plot. It is filled with breathtaking sea images that cast a spell on the open heart. I truly loved all this story had to offer: a creative generational family story set in Tasmania drawing upon the Selkie legends. And for those who don’t know what selkies are, here is an online definition: “a selkie is a mythological shapeshifter from Celtic and Norse folklore that can transform between a seal and a human. Found primarily in the tales of Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland, these marine beings shed their seal skins on land to walk among humans.”
The novel carries many dark undertones and soul shattering secrets. It deals with some serious issues like abuse, psychological control, loss of self and unbearable grief. Mental health is also explored. The novel speaks of women whose voices have been stolen, cut off or forced to remain silent. Suffering leaks like the ink of an octopus from the pages of their lives. As we read Ettie’s journal, our hearts break. It is easy to feel the coiled tension in her words. Plus her suffering and desire to protect her family at all costs.
We are provided with more than one viewpoint which works excellently. We hear from Ettie, Clara and her daughter Isla as well as the Clara’s sister Adelaide. This is a story about relationships that are fractured by events. How these women try to heal is seen in their personal journeys, apart and together. Identity issues surface in the midst of learning about the selkies, their culture and songs that come to them in strange moments. Clara has the most anxiety over whether to believe selkies are real. And she has always struggled at being a mother. She cannot quite relate to Isla who rather is more like Adelaide. We are given individual accounts of Isla’s birth, the issues that arose and how Adelaide had to help her sister with her child. This created a bond between Aunt and Niece but the divide between Isla and Clara is long lasting. Will it change when Adelaide returns?
With the high quality of writing so evident, we are pulled into the drama of these troubled women’s lives and can feel everything they experience. Their fears, hopes, dreams and desires clearly flow from page to page and voice to voice. Gothic elements are laced throughout, maybe more subdued than in some books but the dark atmosphere, psychological terror, macabre, supernatural happenings and dangerous romance liaisons known in 18th Century Gothic Romantic Literature— certainly echo throughout this tale. We see the isolation from being ‘different’ and inescapable weight of the past. The novel’s time period swings back forth like a pendulum from the late 1800s to 1920s where we see how each event has affected the characters. And how the past is always looming large— for Ettie’s actions affect her daughters and granddaughter in the future in different ways. And what happened that led to Adelaide going to Orkney to live for so long.
Speaking of Orkney, I was good friends with the late renowned Orkney poet and story teller George MacKay Brown. It was a pleasure to talk to him about this island he loved so much and the stories it birthed in him. Tasmania seems to be doing the same thing as there are many inspired writers erupting from its stunning wild and wonderful land and seascape.
The novel opens with a poem clip from William Butler Yeats’ A Man Young and Old that sets up the story beautifully.
A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
The last line particularly is chilling and evident inspiration in Daughters of the Tide. Ettie particularly learns some tough lessons about the love she had at first for the man she married. He is a seriously disturbing character. She moves from the illusion and impetuous passion of youth to wisdom that comes as she ages. Her revelations of the truth set her on a path of freedom but her actions—well could be judged severely if known. These remain hidden long after her passing— until her children discover what she has done to survive.
This novel’s powerful images, characters, themes and plot will remain in my mind forever. The message for women it champions and the strength in sisterhood it supports—are epic. We clearly get a glimpse of the evil that is present in our world. Yet in following these women through their journeys in their selkie community, we see the universal desire for meaning, connection and purpose.
Daughters of the Tide has a circular theme that starts in the prologue with such a beautiful image of a woman standing on the precipice of a cliff at night. And at the end we return to her. Her song is powerful, her movements the same. We watch as ‘she falls, softly, like a star into the sea.’ The novel ends with a coda of wisdom. Magical, mystical, mesmerising. This deeply heartfelt story that explores the human condition, should not be missed. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to HQ Fiction and Netgalley for the ARC.
