Tidal Lock
$9.99 E-book
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Longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 1/15/25
First serial to New England Review
The term "tidal lock" refers to the locked rotation between two celestial bodies orbiting each other closely — the term explains, for example, why we can only ever see one side of the moon and the back remains hidden from us. Olana, or rather the narrator of Tidal Lock, who is "sometimes" called Olana, as she explains to us, exists in a similar orbit with her own traumatic memories of childhood that remain inaccessible to her. She can circle them again and again, but like the dark side of the moon they remain out of reach for her. This results in a harrowing story of a young woman trying to solve her father's mysterious disappearance years before.
This slim novel—which consists of 265 shard-like, titled passages divided into four parts— creates an arc of psychological suspense: the narrator's trauma is gradually revealed to us as she herself uncovers it. A shadowy landscape surrounding her sharpens the mystery: Is Olana's father actually dead, or just missing? Where is Olana—does the city she thinks she is in truly exist, or is it only in her head? And who is this woman who claims to be her mother? Despite her inner turmoil, Olana remains alert, persistent, sarcastic, witty, defiant... and ultimately rises above her trapped existence to transform into a newly imagined self.
Throughout, Lindsay Hill enchants the reader by his exquisite writing style, by his dazzling formal inventions, and above all by the powerful emotions that he captures with razor-like acuity.
"We live in a world full of trauma and fear, where it’s often hard to confront, or even admit, exactly what has happened to us. The human mind is endlessly creative at finding ways to cope, though, and many of us don’t even realize the intricate web of fictions we’ve created for ourselves. Lindsay Hill’s new novel, Tidal Lock , explores this vast emotional space between what actually happened and what can currently be faced by one troubled, yet clever young woman whose name is 'sometimes Olana.' . . . Tidal Lock is a short and powerful novel, with deep poetic leanings. It’s about family and loss, and soulful searching. The most surprising thing, to me, given how thickly coded the book felt at the beginning, is how thoroughly the story finds its way to clarity in the end. Secrets are revealed; and the reasons for the heavy veil become clear as well. . . . If you’re like me, once you turn the last page, the beginning will call to you again. To return, to revisit, and to see the dark side of the moon, finally, through knowing eyes."— Mary Lynn Read, The Literary Heist (www.literaryheist.com)
[See also below for the full review.]
“Tidal Lock is a tour de force — a gorgeous, devastating story about a lost, absent father and a neglected daughter. Brilliant and heartbreaking, it is the best, most inventive novel I’ve read in ages.” —Margaret McMullan, author of Aftermath and Where the Angels Lived
"Tidal Lock is so richly metaphorical that I could not divorce its deft magic from my own memories and circumstances. Like Kazuo Ishiguro's Unconsoled or J. Robert Lennon's Pieces for the Left Hand, this is a literary marvel at once unsettling and familiar, elusive and intentional. I absolutely love this book." —Sharma Shields, author of The Cassandra
For the original hardcover, 978-1620540633, go here
About the author
Lindsay Hill was born in San Francisco and graduated from Bard College. Since 1974 he has published six books of poetry* and his work has appeared in many literary journals. Sea of Hooks, his first novel and the product of nearly twenty years' work, was published by McPherson in 2013. Prior to being awarded the 2014 PEN USA Fiction Prize, Publishers Weekly declared Sea of Hooks “the most underrated novel of 2013.” Lindsay Hill lives in Los Angeles.