A review by escape_through_pages
The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What happens when all of a sudden, completely unexpectedly, the life of one of the people who matter most to you in this world is threatened? The simple matter of them taking a breath, of their heart beating, no longer being something you can take for granted?

Adam is a stay-at-home dad, husband to dedicated GP Emma, and father to fifteen year old Miriam and her younger sister. One day, school calls home. Miriam has had a respiratory arrest. A teacher had to perform CPR and they’ve called an ambulance. Miriam survives but answers are lacking. Why? Without knowing why, how can you know it won’t happen again?

The way Sarah Moss gets into Adam’s head, to know his fears, his thoughts is incredible. It’s an amplified version of the parent of a newborn creeping up to their cot to make sure they’re still breathing at night, holding your breath as you push open the door for fear of what you might find.

This book has confirmed for me that no one has an eye on contemporary lives like Sarah Moss. She depicts domestic life in such an honest and relatable way - the dinner table talk, the silent resentment when your spouse hasn’t emptied the washing machine and the day to day juggling of childcare. Adam and Emma are normal people. They could be you or I. 

I’ve been a parent who has seen a sudden change in their child, feared for what was happening, feared for their life. Those fears may last just minutes before a degree of reassurance comes but they stay with you, they change your behaviour for weeks to come. And Sarah Moss writes it exactly how it is. Trying to resume normal life, trying to let go and constantly having to reassure yourself your child is safe away from you. 

There is more than just this though. Gender roles are explored, the NHS and it’s challenges and the world of academia. Reflecting into Adam’s work in researching the destruction and rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral following the Second World War, we see sudden change and recovery on a wider scale. Whilst these parts were less engaging than the central story they have their place in the narrative.

I think Summerwater remains my favourite Moss to date but The Tidal Zone is a perfect story of parental love and it’s emotional costs and rewards.