• Contact
  • Review Policy
  • Home
  • About
  • Book Reviews
    • Classic Fiction
    • Contemporary Fiction
    • Non Fiction
  • Literary Life
    • Bookshops
    • Reading Inspiration
  • Journal
    • Monthly Wrap Ups
    • Sunday Stories

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • Goodreads
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
Behind Her Books

Book reviews, recommendations and stories of literary life.

Slack-Tide by Elanor Dymott
Contemporary Fiction

Slack-Tide by Elanor Dymott

January 13, 2021

Hands up who has a pile of reviews to write that’s almost as big as their pile of books waiting to be read? Me too, my friends, me too. No time like the present then! First up is Slack-Tide, a slim but powerful book I read at the tail end of last year. I picked it up on my trip to Book-ish in the summer. (Remember summer? Remember leaving the house?). I didn’t know anything about it and haven’t seen any reviews on it, but there was something from the blurb alone that drew me in. If it sounds a bit sad, a bit strange and female character-driven, then I’m in.

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
Slack-Tide
by Elanor Dymott

Published by Vintage Publishing 16/01/2020.

It is four years since the loss of a child broke her marriage, and Elizabeth is fiercely protective of her independence. She meets Robert – exuberant, generous, apparently care-free – and they fall in love with breath-taking speed.

Slack-Tide tracks the ebbs and flows of the affair: passionate, coercive, intensely sexual. When you’ve known lasting love and lost it, what price will you pay to find it again?

Slack-Tide Review

Slack-Tide centres around Elizabeth, a 40-something-year-old woman who lives in London. She is divorced and is four years on from losing her child, and meets Robert when she is set up on a blind date with him by a mutual friend. Robert is confident, generous and unexpected, and they quickly embark on a love affair.

Robert is full-on and I mean FULL-ON. He rings and texts Elizabeth incessantly, and immediately seeks to be included in her life. Elizabeth is less certain but definitely likes the attention and validation. Their relationship continues but their lifestyles don’t seem to align. Robert is rich and goes to fancy restaurants with his friends and buys Elizabeth gifts. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is an author of middling success who can’t afford such luxuries and would rather things be much more low-key.

So you might be thinking by now ‘why the hell are these two people together?’ I’ve got to be honest I was thinking the same. Sometimes I would let out an exasperated sigh at both of these characters because they were really winding me up. (But I should say, I don’t mind that at all, I’d rather an interesting but irritating character over a bland, predictable one any day.) If Robert wasn’t being a clingy sod, he was mentioning his wife Lena, who he is separated from and who we never meet but hangs like a shadow over their relationship. Then Elizabeth would acknowledge how annoying Robert was but still continue to put up with his nonsense time and time again. It was driving me insane. But that’s what real-life relationships can be like, right? Messy, contradictory and maddening – the author nailed it.

One of the key themes in the book is parenthood and all of the complicated emotions that come along with it. Elizabeth has lost a child and wants another, she thinks, and she is trying to establish if Robert will be, should be, a good person to have a baby with. Robert already has a grown-up son but he doesn’t let Elizabeth into that part of her life. You can feel the sadness and loss wash over the pages, as they both cope with the disappointments that parenthood, or the dream of it, has brought them.

If you like a good old fashioned beginning, middle and end story then Slack-Tide might not be for you. Instead, the story weaves between the then and now, with the end told pretty much at the beginning. I loved the pace of the storytelling and felt it really added to the ebb and flow of their relationship, so all or nothing. It was also told as if from a distance. You can almost imagine Elizabeth recanting this tale to a group at some party in the future after she’s had time to process it and she’s fine-tuned the story so she can tell it well.

Let me know if you’ve read Slack-Tide and what you thought of it, or if you have any recommendations similar.

Thank you for reading, until next time!

If you enjoyed this post I’d Be so grateful if you gave it a pin!

(Please bear in mind that as a Hive affiliate, some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you.)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

You might also like

Tags:

  • book review

Post navigation

2021 Reading Goals
2020: My Year in Books

Never miss a post

Sign up to the Behind Her Books mailing list and receive book ideas straight to your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Follow Behind Her Books on WordPress.com

behindherbooksblog

Megan | Behind Her Books
Currently reading Ghosts and I am already (to use Currently reading Ghosts and I am already (to use the parlance of The High Low) ob-sessed. Such beautiful writing and I find myself nodding along in agreement and so many bits, my head is at risk of coming off. Hopefully finish this afternoon then on to uni reading.

What's your plans for Sunday?

#igbooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #ghosts
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse ✨ This The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse ✨

This book is the perfect salve to January the l o n g e s t month of the year (I think there's around 300 days in it). Warm, wise, and full of friendship and kindness, I can see why this book was so popular when it came out. With pages full of beautiful illustrations and messages of love, I implore you to read this book. Then lend it to your friends, your family, your neighbour, anyone who needs to remember how much kindness there is in the human heart.

My favourite quote: "When the big things feel out of control ... focus on what you love right under your nose." ♥️
I've had 'catch up on book reviews' on my to do li I've had 'catch up on book reviews' on my to do list for weeks now and I've finally got started 🙌🏻 Yay for progress!

I've not seen many people talking about Slack-Tide on here but I enjoyed it / was frustrated by the characters so I wanted to write up some of my thoughts!

There's a new post up on the blog that I'd love for you to read ♥️

#bookblogger #Bookstagram #bookreview #slacktide #igbooks
First book of 2021 - what do you mean, you didn't First book of 2021 - what do you mean, you didn't start with some Willy Shakespeare? Weird 😜

Had to read that as part of my uni reading as we are exploring what makes certain texts a 'classic' and the cultural impact of them. Finding it really interesting (coz I'm unashamedly a nerd) and also have a deep urge to watch Shakespeare in Love because I feel like it will count as research, right?
⭐ 2021 Reading Goals ⭐ Like most people I can ⭐ 2021 Reading Goals ⭐

Like most people I can't help but start the year by thinking about my plans, goals and dreams for the next 12 months. Can't help it I love a cliché and an excuse to write a list. I've written about my 2021 reading goals over on the blog - would love if you gave it a read. Link is in my bio, luv ya.
Here's to new beginnings, new books and a fresh ne Here's to new beginnings, new books and a fresh new year ahead of us.

I don't come to you with big reading goals for 2021 because if last year taught me anything, it's to find pleasure in the things that I love. So this year my focus is on finding new authors, genres, or voices to fall in love with, along with revisiting some of those that I already cherish.

Happy New Year to all my book friends, it's nice to be back.
Hey friends, it's a been a hot minute. What's goin Hey friends, it's a been a hot minute. What's going on with you all?

The past week or so has been busy with uni tutorials, work, getting back into the gym (finally!), and most exciting of all prepping for a little fluffy addition to the household 🐶

Photo is completely unrelated but still so pretty. This was my first from the @mrbsemporium subscription I got for my birthday and they nailed it! Sounds glorious.

How's your week been? Let me know what's going on with you!
Books goals for the last couple of weeks of 2020 ☝🏻

I know right, doesn't feel weird that we're almost at the end of 2020. Life gets busy at this time of year (even in the current situation!) but that doesn't mean I can't squeeze in a few more reads right.

Here are some books I'd love to read before the end of this year. Some new, some I've had on my shelf a few months.

What's on your reading list for 2020? Have you read any of these? I'd love to know what you thought!
Wouldn't expect anything less than this dreamy cov Wouldn't expect anything less than this dreamy cover from Lana Del Ray. I don't read a lot of poetry but I am looking forward to jumping into this one.

2020 Reading Challenge

2020 Reading Challenge
Megan has read 26 books toward her goal of 30 books.
hide
26 of 30 (86%)
view books

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Are you on the list?

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Contact
  • Review Policy
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2020 Behind Her Books
Cressida by LyraThemes.com
%d bloggers like this: