Her women are humans (or selkies) first, neither rejecting their gender nor being defined by it they have real struggles, insecurities, desires, faults, and improvements. She sidesteps the typical sci-fi/fantasy trap where leading ladies must be born leaders, witty banterers, and confident superwomen –not to mention dead sexy – from page one in order to “keep up” with their male counterparts. With a delightful balance of courage and casualness, Cornwell tackles contemporary issues that thus far have rarely been touched in this genre. Her multiple narrators tell a story of family, love, and belief that readers will find familiar but with a 21st-century spin. As Noah, Mara, and Lo come to understand each other, they learn more about themselves, what they believe in, and what is worth fighting for.Ĭornwell is a beautiful prose writer, infusing an uncomplicated plot with lyrical narrative that brings to life a vivid landscape where it is easy to believe in legends. For here fairytales are fact, and Noah’s chance encounter with a strange swimmer leads him into the world of selkies – seal people who can shed their skins and become human – and a relationship with a young woman, Mara, who straddles the “inbetween” of land and sea. It doesn’t turn out quite the way they expect, however the discovery of their grandmother’s lover, a mysterious woman named Maebh, is the least of the surprises that await them. A cautious fan, a fan with some reservations, but a bit of a fan nonetheless.įirst, the story: High school senior Noah Gallagher and his younger sister Lo are spending the summer at their grandmother’s cottage on the Isles of Shoals off the New England coast. I’m a science fiction and fantasy fan, to be sure, but I’m also a science fiction and fantasy snob I knew I’d be hard to please, and I was.īe that as it may: I came out of Tides as a bit of a fan.
It’s really an awful thing to do, but I couldn’t help it.
I have to admit: I came into Tides as a bit of a skeptic. And in order to make that choice, you must know who you are and honor who you choose to be. No one – mystical or human – can remain in limbo for long, caught between dreams and reality, truths and lies, duties and desires. For a story steeped in folklore and romance, this beginning sets the tone for a simple message that unifies its protagonists and relates to young audiences. So begins the first chapter of Betsy Cornwell’s debut novel, Tides, a new young-adult fantasy set in modern New England. “ No one is happy in the inbetween,” said Gemm. *Reviewed by guest reader Jennifer Vosters
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