Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray
Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241384435.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Ellie is an orphan, who is a tinkerer and is
continuing her Mother's trade as fixer and creator of strange items
in her workshop near the Orphanage where she used to live. Her
brother's recent death has left her alone and she has had to learn
to be resilient and self-reliant. In a world where the sea has
claimed most of the city, a whale is beached on the top of one of
the submerged buildings. Ellie releases a boy, Seth, from within the
dead carcass and with that act of rescue also unleashes the fear of
her home community about the dark power known as the Enemy - the
evil cause of the devastation in her City. This enemy is known to
take over and possess the body of an individual (the Vessel) and
seems to parasitise and wreak power over their life and create havoc
in the island city. The local people of the City want to get rid of
the evil and are in fear of its presence and so make every effort to
get rid of the Vessel. Ellie wants to save the innocent boy from the
local fearmongers, the Inquisitors and their attempts to destroy
him. He may not be the Enemy, but he is very unusual! Ellie retains
a friendship with fellow Orphan, Anna, who helps Ellie and Seth as
they set out to set things right. But overshadowing shame that Ellie
feels and the secret she carries may cause all of her friends to
know great distress.
This is a fantasy novel with a dark and foreboding quality - the
possession of an individual by an evil 'power' is quite sinister.
The world of the sunken City is also very unusual and with ruins and
strange remnant architecture as the foundation of existence the
author has created a very different environment for the action of
the fantasy story. There is action and supernatural unusual
influences through the course of the story and it is a dark fantasy
tale for young teen readers. I would not recommend this for
too-young readers, even though the central characters seem to be
young, because of the chilling nature of possession by an evil
power. Teen readers may be able to recognise the hints of the power
of fear, shame and guilt that are threaded through the unusual
story. It is well written and compelling with a strong female lead
character and will appeal to devotees of the dark and gothic genre
because it has such an unreal and ethereal quality and will also
appeal to enthusiasts of fantasy and dystopian fiction.
Recommended for readers aged 13+ (with care to avoid recommending to
those who might be prone to nightmares!) Themes: Fantasy; Grief and
loss; Supernatural; Fear; Shame and guilt.
Carolyn Hull