Book Review - Orphans of the Tide


The buzz surrounding Struan Murray’s debut made it one of the most anticipated book releases for me in early 2020, a bold claim when considering the other well-hyped releases that are due out the same time. The buzz appeared genuine too, and now I’ve read it, it was completely deserved. I was hooked (no pun intended) from the opening scene - a whale found of the rooftop of a chapel in a mountainous city half-submerged by the sea - and I devoured the pages in the same greedy way the waves attacked the city. The story remains as unique, strange and gripping throughout, but the world Murray has created and the characters inhabiting it are so realistic that it’s like reading a historical retelling of an usual, but very real, past. There were moments where I audibly gasped as the stories unfurled, the weaving of two tales, one being from the diary entries of a former city resident, working seamlessly to create intrigue, suspense and sadness. This book  raised so many questions to me about the devastation guilt and fear can cause, whether those emotions are genuine or not, and I am looking forward to reading it again (and I really don’t often feel that way about many books so soon after reading). The journey of the characters was one I didn’t want to come to an end, I was so involved and attached to them and their struggles. The illustrations by Manuel Samberac (not unlike those found in The Mysteries Of Harris Burdick by Chris van Allsberg) are glorious too, adding an extra depth and element of mystery to the book. A highly recommended read for UKS2 and above.

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