Una coppia, una casa nel Dorset, una tragedia che costringe una famiglia a trasferirsi da Londra alla casa di campagna. Non tutti si adattano, non tutti sono a loro agio, alla fine scoppia la tragedia: il piccolo Alfred scompare tra i flutti e la famiglia è distrutta. Molti anni e molte sofferenze più tardi Dora e il suo ragazzo attendono un figlio. Per poter andare avanti con la sua vita Dora è costretta a fare i conti col tragico passato e a tirare tutti i fili del passato per poter far pace con se stessa. In questo viaggio Dora, col sostegno di Dan, riallaccia tutti i fili della tragedia e riappacifica la famiglia.
I continui spostamenti spazio temporali sono un escamotage molto sfruttato dai moderni scrittori di gialli, una fra tutti Camilla Laeckberg. Forse sarebbe bene tornare ad una linea temporale più semplice o forse è il difetto della Richell non saper usar bene questa tecnica, perchè il racconto ne risulta frammentato e appesantito. ( )

knjiga me odusevila,potresna prica o jednoj porodici koja je izgubila sina i brata,ko je krivac za to,kako se otvorila pandorina kutija i donijela zlo svima,..procitala sam je u jednom dahu,jako tuzna ali ne dozvoljava da ju ostavite... ( )

Maybe it was the right time for me to read this book or maybe it just got me when I was vulnerable, but I loved it! The story is about a family with many secrets and many sorrows, and how they all eventually managed to overcome all this and live their lives. An incident occurs in the book that forever changes everyone in this family of five. This incident touches each of them in a different way and sparks different reactions in each of them. It also tears apart this family as each tries to deal with the tragedy. This is a tragic story, but one that ends with hope. It is definitely a tear-jerker, and it was a book that will forever leave an impression on me. I found this book by accident in a wonderful little used book store in Lethbridge, Alberta. When I saw it, I thought it looked interesting and was worth a read, so I bought it for a ridiculously low price. It is a true gem and it is a book that I will never forget. The Tide family with all its foibles and mistakes will forever be locked in my brain. This is a book that I wouldn't have read if my eyes hadn't picked it out amongst the hundreds of books in this wonderful bookstore. Thank goodness for independent used book stores. And thank goodness that I went into this store on a particularly blustery day in January. ( )

First book for Hannah Richell, hard to believe. A lot of family secrets and guilt, so much guilt. Enjoyable read. ( )

From The Book Wheel:

Originally released in the UK last summer, The House of Tides by Hanna Richell (interview below) tell the story of a family’s decade-long recovery after a tragic event leaves them reeling from unanswered questions. Told through the alternating views of Dora, her sister Cassie, and their mother, Helen, The House of Tides weaves a story of sadness, betrayal, and redemption.

The main focus of the book is on Pandora “Dora” Tide, the younger of two sisters, who is determined to face her past when she finds herself pregnant. Scared and confused, Dora returns to her childhood home to search for answers and seek closure from her distant mother. But in her quest for answers, Dora finds herself blindsided by the memories one tragic day a decade earlier – the one that changed her family forever.

Unlike most books that I read with alternating storytellers and timeframes, this one takes place over the course of a decade. At first I thought that this would be a negative because, really, how much can happen over ten years in a book? Most good books that transcend time need hundreds of years to do so properly. But instead, it was a positive. This approach made the characters more relatable because the main character is my age and the plot allowed for incredible character development within those ten years.

For the full review, click here. ( )