A bestselling romance author escapes her failing marriage to her childhood beach home, where she encounters a mysterious sea creature, a resurrected childhood friend, and a looming threat to the world, blending elements of romance, fantasy, and sci-fi in a whimsical and imaginative tale. As she navigates family dynamics, personal growth, and unexpected challenges, she must confront her past, embrace the magic of childhood, and face the unknown with courage and humor.

Reader Review Summary

Emily Jane's sophomore novel "Here Beside the Rising Tide" is a wildly imaginative and genre-blending triumph. It seamlessly combines elements of science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, family drama, and humor into one wholly original and engrossing story.

The premise alone hooks you from the start - a famous romance novelist named Jenn finds her world upended when her childhood friend Timmy mysteriously returns after 30 years, emerging from the sea off the coast of her childhood home still just 10 years old. As if that's not weird enough, Jenn and her kids soon encounter bizarre sea creatures they dub "squidoodles" that seem to have come from another dimension. When increasingly apocalyptic events start unfolding, Timmy claims he has returned on a mission to save the world, with the squidoodles as potential allies against an even greater aquatic threat.

Jane's vibrant imagination and skill at world-building makes the most fantastical elements feel vividly real. The descriptions of the squidoodles and their unique quirks like an addiction to sugar are so creative and delightful. The vivid action set pieces, like a titanic battle between naval forces and a colossal sea monster, are heart-poundingly intense. Jane has a true gift for blending the mundane and the extraordinary in her fiction.

But the real strength lies in the emotional resonance and superb character work. Jenn is a flawed but immensely relatable heroine whose journey of rediscovering her sense of self and purpose in the midst of divorce, midlife ennui, and her own personal baggage is beautifully rendered. Her relationships with her wacky but lovable kids, her prickly ex-husband, the hunky contractor love interest, and the precocious Timmy all crackle with authenticity. Jane avoids cliches and really digs into the complexity of familial bonds in a way that rings tremendously true.

The novel also tackles deeper existential themes about the nature of time, the permanence of memory and nostalgia, humanity's interconnectedness to the larger mysteries of the universe, and more. But Jane explores these heavy ideas with a deft, light touch and leavens it all with fantastic humor and whimsy.

On a line-by-line level, Jane's writing is simply a joy to read. Her descriptive prowess vividly captures the humidity and magic of an East Coast island summer. Her dialogue crackles with naturalism and humor. Her command of metaphor and poetic phrasing elevates even simple moments into something lyrical and profound.

"Here Beside the Rising Tide" truly defies neat categorization and represents a new, distinct strand of fiction that blends the supernatural with the deeply human. It's an inspired, rapturously imaginative work that will capture your heart as much as it sets your imagination soaring. Across multiple genres, Jane has established herself as a major voice in imaginative fiction and an author to watch closely. Highly recommended for anyone craving an utterly unique and unforgettable reading experience.