The Mercy of the Tide is Keith Rosson’s debut novel, and it’s a strong one. Set in a tiny, depressed town on the Oregon Coast during the Reagan Administration, things start out dark, and they’re about to get a whole lot darker. Thank you, Net Galley and Meerkat Press for the DRC, which I received free of charge for this honest review. This book will be for sale February 21, 2017, and those that love good fiction with a working class perspective will want a copy.

The tiny town of Riptide, Oregon is knee deep in grief. A recent head-on collision claimed the lives of Melissa Finster, mother of Sam and Trina, and June Dobbs, the town’s beloved librarian and wife of Sheriff Dave Dobbs. The blow has left everyone reeling and on edge.

Someone else is missing Melissa too, though he can’t say so. Deputy Nick Hayslip--a Vietnam veteran who has no patience for the madness associated with that category, a vet who figures that you go home when the war is over, you put on your clothes and go to work and therapy is for losers--is coming unstuck. Nobody knows about his past with Melissa, and he finds terrible ways to keep her memory alive.

The teaser for this novel tells us that the story centers around Sam and Trina, and since the author generally writes the teaser, that must be his intention. However, I found Trina to be the weakest element here, and it was the other characters that made this story work for me. Part of this is just pure fickle bad luck for the author; I actually taught deaf kids of the same age as Trina, as well as gifted kids that age; and in one instance, a gifted deaf kid that age. It’s true that the gifts of highly capable children vary widely in scope and range, and that every child is unique, but the vocabulary and abstract concepts Rosson bestows on this kid are just not within the realm of the possible, and so Trina isn’t real to me until later in the book, when things other than her obsession with nuclear holocaust are used in the development of her character.

The most interesting character and unlikely hero here is Hayslip. Also beautifully developed are Sheriff Dodds and Sam’s closest friend, Todd, known familiarly as “Toad”. Alternating points of view from the third person omniscient give us ready access to their thoughts, impulses, and feelings.

An interesting side character is zealous Christian wingnut Joe Lyley, who says in a somewhat uncharacteristic understatement, “These are unlovely times.” I also liked Leon Davies, whose role I will let the reader discover, because it’s such a fun surprise.

The setting is almost an anti-tourist brochure. The Oregon Coast is well known for its wild, rugged beauty, but Rosson chooses to introduce the other reality, that of the many local denizens that endure a hardscrabble working class existence in small, chilly, damp coastal communities that rarely see the sun. The moldering smell of rotting wood, porches and floors with a sponge-like give under foot are dead accurate, although the town of Riptide is fictitious; the recession of the 80’s plunged small beach towns into a depression from which there has never been a moment’s relief.

This is a strong story with a tight, tense climax and a powerful resolution. This darkly delicious novel shows that Rosson is a force to be reckoned with; I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

I really disliked every character in this book, and couldn't make myself continue past 30%. Not the book for me.

"The Mercy of the Tide" is a conundrum. There is no main protagonist, neither is there really an antagonist. It's not a mystery but there are elements of mystery within. It's not horror but here to there are elements of horror. People die but these aren't murders to be solve. Not much happens but it has a lot to say. Every page I expected the "action" to take over. It never really does. No mystery. No bad guys. No instantaneous romance between the hunky man who drifts into town and sweeps the lonely but ever so beautiful woman off her feet. There is sorrow, friendship, betrayal, grief in its many forms. It's also set in a very slightly tweaked alternate reality. Hence the conundrum.

What Keith Rosson has done is written a book that is an exceptional read. Reading for the pure joy of seeing how he has put words together. I could label the book with something generic but that would do dishonor to what he has done. What Mr Rosson have given us is a book where lives get tangled up over a fatal accident. How sorrow, loneliness, grief play out in the lives of those involved. The characters have a depth to them that adds to their reactions. He writes each character as if they are what should be focused on. Each has a very distinct voice. A 9 year old deaf girl obsessed with nuclear warfare, her 17 year old brother. His 19 year old best friend. The Police chief and one of his officers. Even those considered minor characters have a voice.

When I read a book I typically pass it on to someone else. So the best praise I can give Mr Rosson and "The Mercy of the Tide" is that I will keep this book to read again.

I wish to thank Mr Rosson, the Publisher, and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

I went into reading this novel with only a vague impression of where it would take me. First off, Rosson's writing is superb. His descriptions infuse the story with an almost heady, atmospheric quality that allows you to feel as if you are walking down the misty, rainy roads of Riptide with the characters. Though the description touts the book as more of a magical realism/mystery thriller, and while I did enjoy these aspects of the book greatly, I appreciated the other, more quotidian, themes of loss, grief, and guilt (amongst other things) that Rosson explores via Dobbs, Hayslip, Sam, and Trina. The manner in which these characters are intertwined within the context of the plot and the way in which they develop throughout the novel is fascinating and realistic.

It's hard to classify this novel into one genre. It's sort of a Frankenstein of magical realism, science fiction, historical fiction, horror...all mashed into one intriguing package. My only point of ambivalence at this time is the ending. Without giving too much away, I will say that the end seemed abrupt given the drama that occurs in the last few pages. It's not that the ending doesn't function well, but moreso the fact that I was left feeling a little unsatisfied. Nevertheless, I look forward to reading more or Rosson's writing in the future.

Review of THE MERCY OF THE TIDE by Keith Rosson

THE MERCY OF THE TIDE is an exceptional literary adventure, a novel that is deep and rich, a literary pleasure. About halfway through, I was reminded of A SUDDEN LIGHT by Garth Stein, a novel which I consider a Best of 2015, as THE MERCY OF THE TIDE I consider a Best of 2017. Both are set in the Pacific Northwest, though A SUDDEN LIGHT occurs in an earlier century. Literate, absorbing, revealing, cutting deep into the characters, both novels bring us their individuals in deeper and clearer ways than the individuals recognise in themselves.

am very conflicted about The Mercy of the Tide. The character development is wonderful. I cared about the people in the story and not just the four who are the focus of the story. There’s Sam’s best friend Toad and his uncle whose own sorrows will wring your heart. Sam and Trina’s father struggling with his own grief while trying to raise his children alone. There’s the two women who died in that awful accident, gone but never forgotten, grief for their loss animating Dobbs, Nick, Sam, and Trina. These people are fully realized, complex, interesting people for whom we come to care deeply.

But then there is the plot, which just seems to never decide what it wants to be. It would be a more suspenseful, tighter, and far finer story if the entire element of Native American folklore were excised. First, it’s not based on real folklore and the Native American tribe and reservation are fictionalized. That’s just not right. If you are going to write about Native Americans in Oregon, don’t erase the real ones.

More importantly, the characters build the tension. There is this marvelous tension between Sheriff Dobbs and the decompensating Hayslip, there is where the story should have focused, there and on Hayslip’s obsession with his dead lover’s children.

And then, there is the Ronald Reagan issue. For some reason, the author chose to have Hinckley shoot Reagan during the election campaign against Jimmy Carter. This gives Dobbs’ wife June motive to despise Reagan for exploiting the assassination attempt. She could have easily chosen to despise him for delaying the return of the hostages in Iran in order to have them come home on his inauguration day, leaving them hostage for three more months to feed his ego. Then there is the day the bullet left in Reagan’s body shifts and it is believed he is dying or dead (no bullet was left in his body) which sets of an international incident. Why go with this false history when the real assassination left him in surgery and General Alexander Haig saying he was in charge. Real history gives reasons enough for the events he wants to happen, so why make up something that is just going to stop readers in their tracks to say, “wait, that didn’t happen.” It was beyond annoying to this history major. In fact, after the part about him exploiting his assassination to win election, I put the book down for a day in disgust before coming back to it because I really liked Sam and Trina and wanted to know what happens to them.

So, as I said, I am conflicted. The characters are wonderful, so human and real. I wish they were in another story.

(Lengthened review to come shortly... Stay tuned...)

Unique idea

The Mercy of the Tide completely comes out of left field, even knowing the summary beforehand. Rosson keeps certain aspects from you, as if to assure that you'll be shocked when certain things come up. Rosson is obviously a master of orchestrating mood and feeling, hooking me in with his interesting yet evenly paced beginning.

Rosson wastes no time introducing characters, most of which you'll fall in love with immediately. Dave Dobbs was the perfect grandfatherly figure, while still holding the sharp edge he needs to maintain his status as sheriff. Nick Hayslip, you can tell, is obviously hiding something, which draws you to his character more. Especially seeing the way he feel into his obsession throughout the novel. And the siblings, Sam and Trina Finster, seriously draw in your hearts with their mutual love for each other.

For quite a while, I believed I knew what was going to happen in The Mercy of the Tide. Rosson comes from nowhere, though, and comes up with a completely unique and, honestly, somewhat offensive, solution to his so-called mystery.

Insulting and stereotypical train-wreck

The moment the Native Americans were drawn into the story, I knew something would go wrong. Keith Rosson, as far as I can tell, has no Native American blood, and if he did, he would have known that what he was doing probably wasn't okay. First it was Toad, a character, using "gay" as an insult, as well as multiple others using "having AIDS" as another insult. Then comes the part where a Native is described as "the color of weak coffee", and in my experience, I'm pretty sure that you aren't supposed to used food/drink words to describe a human. Let's also not forget the huge stereotype of all Native American's being druggies/alcoholics/rude people. When Rosson described a reservation, he basically described it as a trailer park over-run with trash.

Not only that, but the ending, which Rosson tried to blend with both the mystery of the accident, which wasn't supposed to be a mystery at all, and the Native American legend (that he 100% made up, I'm pretty sure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.) I was constantly trying to figure out what was what and what the hell was going on. The ending made completely no sense. The so-called "twist" wasn't a twist at all, because there was no indication that there was anything wrong to begin with.

Going back to the Native Americans. Rosson didn't even bother to research into any Native American tribes that were in Oregon. Instead, he completely came up with his own tribe, complete with it's own legend that made no sense. He gave no other background to this so called "Tumquala Tribe" other than the legend that Hayslip eventually becomes obsessed with.

Final Rating:★★☆☆☆

Overall?

While I originally thought that the mystery and supernatural elements were amazing, the moment I realized that Rosson was using the stereotypical idea that people had of Native Americans for the ~mystery~, I wanted to chuck the book across the room. While I am not Native myself, I still grew uncomfortable seeing stereotypes like these from someone who obviously didn't do research.