The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss – You MUST Read This

A father receives a call from the school authorities saying that his fifteen year old daughter collapsed on the playground without breathing. An ordinary day suddenly gets punctured with the uncertainty of the future. The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss is a gut wrenching, heart breaking, emotional read.

Review

On the cover of my copy of the novel, Times calls Sarah Moss as “One of the under rated writers of the country.” After reading the first page, I was convinced that she deserves that praise. I was pretty sure this novel would be an astounding one. Glad I wasn’t wrong because after I read the book, I wanted to read all of her older books as soon as possible.

Moss engages the reader as a silent yet important spectator from the first pages of the book. The book opens with the conception of a child to its birth, told in such simple yet lyrical words that lures you into the story. From the first page onwards you feel connected to this child who is born, Miriam, as one of your own. If you would like to read an extract of the first chapter, here it is – Things that didn’t happen

(If you are too busy to read the whole review, here is the short way out- Read the book. It is worth it). Don’t forget to check out the Giveaway at the end of the post.

The story begins on an ordinary day. Adam is a stay-at-home dad. His wife, Emma is a busy GP. The two kids, fifteen year old Miriam and eight year old Rose are away at school. Suddenly there is a pin-prick that bursts this happy bubble of a day in the form of a phone call about Miriam collapsing on the school ground.

Here are some of the highlights of the novel :
1. Family
The most important aspect in Moss’s writing is how beautifully she portrays a family confronted with tragic news. We realise that unlike a movie, time doesn’t race forward after bad news hits us. Nor is there a dramatic pause with background music. Time dribbles on, schedules of the different family members must be adhered to even after their minds have been subjected to certain irreversible changes.
“Everything is paused, except that Rose still needs to go to school and to eat her meals, and the laundry must still be done and the bathroom cleaned, somehow, from the High Dependency Unit of a city fifteen miles from home.”

The novel often falls into the natural comical moments shared by the family even under stressful situations, which makes it a delight to read. Whether it be fights over the breakfast table over what to have with toast or arguments on whether to keep a dog, Moss is successful in making the reader feel connected with her characters.

2. Adam Goldschmidt
A majority of the book takes place inside Adam’s head. Moss has weaved the mental agony of a father into the mind of a responsible care giver of the family who worries about his ill daughter while being concerned at the same time about jam smears, laundry folding and nutrient requirements of the rest of the family.

3. Miriam
Miriam is a sharp tongued, frustrated teenager who dislikes a majority of the antics of our human society and is strongly vocal about her views. It is interesting to read how her views on her condition are different from the parent’s (Adam).

4. Gender Roles
Adam is a stay-at-home father. He is an unemployed PhD who does occasional hourly paid part time jobs at the university. His wife is a busy doctor. And, they are a happy family. A much needed picture in modern times.

5. Historical Perspective
Adam is researching the post war rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral. This historical perspective comes in the novel as a breather or like a much needed advertisement between a TV show to help you move forward with the tragedy that hits the family.
Also, the novel takes place in the present time right in the middle of the current political situations which makes the story feel even more real.

6. Social Commentary/Sarcasm
The Tidal Zone has sarcasm at its best. Some commendable quotes are “We live in a country that pays women more to impersonate elves in a shop rather than give expert health care to critically ill children.” Or the one about “It is cheating to find beauty by picking out the old buildings and softening the focus on the rest.”

7. Relationships
Never before have I read a writer exploring the fragility of relationships in such a delicate and convincing manner. There is an internal conflict between Adam and his wife. He feels he is the go-to-parent for the child, not their mother. Later his thoughts change into gratitude for his wife’s role in the family. Adam has always been critical of Miriam’s temper outbursts. But later he longs for them as they assure him that she is healthy and safe. A particularly touching conversation was the one between the younger child, Rose and Adam on how Miriam’s health condition affects both of them.

8. Generation gaps and Viewpoints
Adam’s father comes to visit, and tells about his own youth in America as a hippy rebelling against the authorities. His parents were European immigrants, and he later moved back to Europe.
Miriam is surprisingly similar to her grandfather in defying authority, but using entirely different methods. For example when Miriam’s dad asks her to accompany him to the cathedral, she says , It’ll take more than coloured glass and old music to make me sign up to homophobia, misogyny and the grandfather of all patriarchal institutions.”

Final Verdict

Throughout the book I felt like a ghost that haunted the Goldschmidt household, helpless to offer comfort to them in any way. As the story progressed I felt even more invested in each of the characters. As the pages came to a halt with a thump of the back cover, I felt like a wraith, melting away as I peeped through the window to see one happy family.

The novel explores many themes such as mortality, 21st-century gender politics, health care, family bonds, parental jealously, sibling expectations – all explored through the lens of one ordinary family. The characters feel real, as real as you and me.The power of the novel rests in its depiction of the ordinary  while being firmly grounded in the present world.

This is one of my top reads of this year.  I had to compose myself several times and even close the book to fight back a tear or two. It is definitely a book that I would love to re-read as well as recommend.

Title : The Tidal Zone
Author : Sarah Moss
Publisher : Granta Books
Published : 2016
Language : English
Pages : 336
Rating : 5/5

Disclaimer : Thanks to Granta Books for the copy of the book. All opinions are my own. It really is a fantastic book.

GIVEAWAY
Good news! If you do not already own a copy, here is something for you. I am hosting an International Giveaway on Instagram for ONE copy of The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss. All you have to do is follow me (@thebooksatchel) and Granta Books (@grantabooks) and tag two friends who would be interested in reading the book.

Click on this Instagram link to enter the Giveaway. If you would like to enter via Twitter, do Like and RT this Tweet. The Giveaway ends on 2^nd September (Friday), 11:59 PDT. The winner will be announced on Twitter and Instagram.