The Tidal Zone - Brossura

'In her four novels to date Moss has proved to be a versatile writer, tricky to pin down... [The Tidal Zone] is different again, a contemporary story about a family whose ordinary lives are tipped into freefall when eldest daughter Miriam collapses one day at school. Granta is tipping this as her breakout novel and I do hope so - she deserves to be so much better known' -- Bookseller

'Sarah Moss is a writer of exceptional gifts, who can combine the profound and the prosaic, the contemporary and the historic, in a compelling narrative. She writes better than anyone I know about the way we live now, about our fears and obsessions and dreams, about mortality and parenthood and just keeping going from day to day.I love her work, and I loved this book. She gives us so much. She writes very freely and fearlessly, making up her own rules as she goes. She is also very funny' - Margaret Drabble

'The Tidal Zone is a remarkable, passionate, funny and beautifully furious book, full of love, history, justice and tenderness. I recommend it to any reader with a heart, or a head' -- AL Kennedy

'Sarah Moss [is] a writer of consistently clever works. She's one of Britain's most underrated writers... One of the things Moss does so well in her novels is to play with your expectations. Here she shakes up the traditional mother-father roles.' -- Fiona Wilson, The Times

'Sarah Moss's great gift is a first-rate depicter of human emotions. Her characters live and breathe in the way that readers need characters to do: as compassionate, sympathetic and recognisable individuals we can connect with utterly, as people struggling to cope with the realities of life... This is grown-up writing for grown-up readers, the kind of story that makes you think about your own life choices and close relationships. Few novels do that with such depth and clarity as Moss's has done so here.' -- Lesley McDowell, Sunday Herald

'A clever, well-constructed, moving, funny and very well-written novel, rooted in domestic reality but able to take on the big themes of mortality and the fragility and preciousness of life. Excellent' -- Harry Ritchie, Daily Mail

'As astute storyteller, Moss taps into a range of experiences that you do not need to be a parent to feel and tackles this extremely uncomfortable subject with tact, plausibility and flowing prose.' - Natalie Bowen, Press Association

'The Tidal Zone has an astounding way of looking at a potential personal tragedy within one household and simultaneously shows how it is situated in the expansive tapestry of human experience. She does this writing in a way which is poetic, profound and filled with wry humour, but it's also a story firmly grounded in the small details of real life... The Tidal Zone magnificently captures the real grit and poignancy of daily life while framing it within a bigger picture. It's an emotionally affecting read with realistic and relatable characters that will keep you gripped worrying what will happen to them.' -- Eric Anderson, Lonesome Reader

'If you enjoy Sarah Moss's writing then I think you will love this one... to my mind her best novel to date and if you haven't discovered her then you have treats in store... Sarah Moss traverses the territory with assurance and confidence. With each book I sense an author getting better and better. Having already made the Wellcome Prize shortlist twice, [Moss] must surely make it for a third time with The Tidal Zone and surely other accolades will follow' -- Dove Grey Reader

'Sarah Moss is an impressively flexible writer... The Tidal Zone may be something of a pioneer as a novel... A novel for our times... An intensely contemporary novel, with swingeing criticisms of this country today... An excellent read' -- Penelope Lively, Guardian

'It blew me away... [one of] my top ten books of all time... A truly incredible book' --Joy Isabella

'Proving she's at the top of her game, Moss has written a new kind of state-of-the-nation novel, one that addresses big themes - mortality, parental love, 21st-century gender politics, even the NHS - all explored through the prism of one ordinary family, and within a narrative that's not so much about events, but rather the void where action and answers should be. Without doubt, she's one of the best British novelists writing today, The Tidal Zone, which reads like the electric shock of a defibrillator, or the jolt of an EpiPen of adrenaline, confirms this.' -- Lucy Scholes, Independent

'A sophisticated, state-of-the-nation novel [that] delivers a powerful account of private fears in the face of public expectations and modern parenthood confronting gender politics... Animated by wry intelligence yet comparable to a Dutch painting of a domestic interior in its evocation of turmoil beneath stillness, Sarah Moss's fifth novel reprises her exploration of mortal and moral paradoxes... Bristling with contemporary teenage attitude, this coming-of-age story is about grown-ups, for grown-ups.' -- Caroline Jackson, Country Life

'Moss writes soulful, ambitious prose, which takes not of the familiar and mundane, but mostly dwells on a bigger, deeper picture. The nature of familial love, the grip of fear imposed by a seriously ill child, the guilt of yearning for escape; all are examined with intelligence and emotional charge' -- Jane Graham, Big Issue

'The Tidal Zone is rich in texture and detail, and Moss expands her narrative even further, folding in the story of Adam's father [which] adds a new dimension [...] introducing a way of living that relinquishes class systems, money, institutions and ideologies... Moss's language is unflinching and she convincingly captures Adam's inner life' -- Cassie Davies, Literary Review

'Moss's new novel begins with a couple of extraordinary pages describing three incidents in which a young girl's heart stopped... Moss is one of our most fearless novelists [who] underline[s] how precarious and illusory our cosy lives are' -- Claire Allfree, Metro

'Sarah Moss presents a beautifully crafted portrayal of liberal middle-class family life [to] explor[e] themes of parental love, fear of loss, the challenges of marriage, the work-life juggle, recovery and more... It captures things you know must be true but had perhaps never thought of... Gripping' -- Jane Blackman, Oxford Times

'A breathtaking book that intertwines the sudden drama of catastrophe with the ongoing rhythms of domestic life. I haven't read anything that better nails the love and fear of parenting and the complexities of marriage with children.' -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, Stylist

'Moss studies the shifts in the minutiae of family life with a meticulous eye... Mesmeris[ing].' -- Francesca Angelini, Sunday Times

'The Tidal Zone is anchored around the family unit, but it rises from these foundations to look at Britain today. The NHS figures largely, both as Emma's employer and Miriam's saviour. There are also thoughts about gender roles and modern parenting. Handled less carefully this could feel dreadfully worthy, but Moss makes her State of the Nation novel beautiful and fun.' -- Emerald Street

'A very powerful book about modern life and how we're all living under great pressure.' -- BBC Oxford

'Moving [and] devastating' -- Mail on Sunday

'Sarah Moss is an absolutely terrific writer... [A] richly detailed and beautifully observed novel [with] all the pace and excitement of a thriller.' -- Cressida Connolly, Oldie

'A powerful read... It's a book I want to read slowly because it's so beautifully written' -- Rather Too Fond of Books

'In this superb, luminous novel, Moss brilliantly explores parental anxieties, gender roles and work/life balance' --Eithne Farry, Sunday Express

'[Moss] writes very beautifully... Absoluely fantastic... She's a writer who is very much in charge of her craft... Wonderful acerbic comic scenes... [and] alert to how fictions work... A very very fine novel' -- Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4

'[An] absorbing novel about knowledge [and] a very funny slice of life... With this expertly crafted examination of the shocks to which the flesh is heir, and the institution that we expect to heal us, she deserves to come to the attention of many more judging panels - and readers.' -- Observer

'Part of the pleasure of Moss's novel lies in its studied contemporaneity, the small miracle of seeing your life right now reflected back at you - or, at least, the life of a wide swath of the British middle class... Moss, you feel, sees clearly where we are just now' -- TLS

'Brilliant, [Moss] absolutely captures [...] the big dramatic action but also wonderfully pins the small currents and rhythms of domestic life... A rich and complex novel, very layered but also a fast, speedy and tense read... Literally breathtaking, [...] I had to remind myself to breathe again... [Moss] is such a good writer... all of the great questions of life and death are here' -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, Monocle Arts Daily

'Moss's writing is compassionate, sensitive and clear-eyed... Another triumph' -- Susan Osborne, A Life in Books

'[Moss's] strengths [are in] voice, character, and weaving poetic interstices among the episodes of action that draw them all together... Her prose is fluid and sensual and gorgeous, [...] maintain[ing] that limpid, vivid prose while being so elegant with the big ideas underpinning it all. It's an extraordinary book, an unforgettable one, and one I'd urge on anyone.' -- Eleanor Franzén, Elle Thinks

'I devoured this.. it's definitely going to be one of my favourite books of the year... Profoundly moving, relevant and important' -- Jen Campbell

'[Moss is] a very very good writer, and her latest novel is perhaps her best to date' -- TLS blog

'A riveting novel dealing with themes of love, family, marriage, fear, illness and recovery. A perfect book-group read.' -- Cotswold Life

'At the core of Moss's fifth novel is a parent-child relationship tenderly observed and delicately wrought... A pointed detangling of family life, and an equally sharp examination of social justice and healthcare politics, it resonates with an emotional intelligence that recalls the work of Jon McGregor... [This is] a novel that manages laughter and tears with extraordinary assurance' -- Gary Kaill, Skinny

'A brilliant novel... The Tidal Zone is a powerful and layered reading experience, fearful of the present, but hopeful for the future... An essential read.' -- Alice Farrant, Shiny New Books

'Moss has gained many plaudits... She is an old-fashioned literary realist, her writing drenched in verisimilitude; and as her oeuvre develops, we get a sense of a wider, more impressive project at play... The success of this very fine novel is rooted in characterisation of its narrator... The disjunction between Adam's internal monologue and actual speech perfectly captures the endless editing we carry out every minute of our lives' -- Toby Lichtig, Financial Times

'One of my favourite books I've read this year and I'd urge everyone to read it. Not only is it an absorbing novel, it's one that truly captures and explores human fears in a powerful way. The Tidal Zone feels like a book that's very much of its time, one that feels very important to be reading now... but on the other [hand], it's very timeless... Moss's writing is beautiful, absorbing and atmospheric... The Tidal Zone is a book full of ideas that are explores and articulated so thoughtfully in wonderful prose. This novel is certainly going to be one of my top books of 2016.' --Perfectionist Pen

SARAH MOSS was educated at Oxford University and is currently an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Warwick. She is the author of four novels: Cold Earth, Night Waking, which was selected for the Fiction Uncovered Award in 2011, Bodies of Light and Signs for Lost Children; and the co-author of Chocolate: A Global History. She spent 2009-10 as a visiting lecturer at the University of Iceland, and wrote an account of her time there in Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland (Granta 2012), which was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2013.