Daughters of the Tide: The gorgeously atmospheric 2026 debut that explores secrets and selkies in 1920s...

— —

Arianne James

Daughters of the Tide

Name: Daughters of the Tide
Price: 32.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781038945549

The gorgeously atmospheric 2026 debut that explores secrets and selkies in 1920s Tasmania

Arianne James

$32.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

HQ
26 May 2026

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Fantasy; Myth & legend told as fiction; Historical fiction; Fantasy

Weaving historical fiction with folklore and Tasmanian gothic, this is a gorgeously atmospheric debut that explores memory and self, the resilience of women and a dangerous longing for the sea.

The Findlay family history has long been steeped in secrets, tragedy and dark rumours of madness. Generations of its women have been haunted by a dangerous luring melody and an insatiable longing for the sea.

It's 1923 and Isla Findlay lives with her parents on the edge of the ocean in Tasmania, in a rambling mansion full of whispers of this cursed legacy. When Isla discovers her estranged aunt is finally coming home, long-repressed memories of the selkie stories of her childhood start to resurface, along with disturbing dreams of seals and an eerie song that Isla starts to hear even in her waking hours.

As the line between what's real and imagined starts to blur, Isla and her aunt and mother must reckon with long-held secrets and ghosts who have not been properly laid to rest. The closer they get to the truths of the past, the louder they hear the seductive call of the ocean. Does it sing of freedom, or only more tragedy?

A tale of madness and miracles, secrets and sins, myth and reality, and the tenacity and resilience of women in the face of impossible choices.

PRAISE FOR DAUGHTERS OF THE TIDE

'Arianne James has created a mesmerising elegy to the sea and the wild coastlines of our fragile, courageous hearts. Daughters of the Tide retells a favourite myth with luminous haunting beauty.' HEATHER ROSE, author of A Great Act of Love

'Dreamy, moving and full of heart, Daughters of the Tide explores the power of memory, the resilience of women, and the courage it takes to face the past to forge a future of your own.' KELL WOODS, author of Upon a Starlit Tide

'Memory, reality and truth swirl and tumble in waves of dream, ancient song and mystery to create a lyrical and poetic novel that pulls at the senses like the tides themselves. An assured and alluring debut.' MARY-LOU STEPHENS, author of The Hobart Hotel

'This is a piece of historical fiction magic that will captivate and delight.' KAREN BROOKS, author of The Whisky Widow

'A haunting tale of the pull of the sea and the strength and determination of women. A remarkable debut.' VICTORIA PURMAN, author of The Marriage Trap

'A beautifully written debut, lush with dark family secrets shrouded in memory and mystique' DARRY FRASER, author of The Adventuress of Albany

By: Arianne James
Imprint: HQ
Country of Publication: Australia
ISBN: 9781038945549
ISBN 10: 1038945542
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 26 May 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Arianne is a writer of fiction and an avid reader. She lives in Hobart on the beautiful island of lutruwita, Tasmania, surrounded by the ocean and an ever watchful mountain. Her stories have been published in The Hunter Writers Centre's Grieve anthology, Swinburne University's journals Backstory and Other Terrain, Corvid Queen magazine and Voices of the Southern Ocean. Arianne holds a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (2017) and First-Class Honours in Creative Writing (2019) from the University of Tasmania, and is a graduate of the Faber Writing Academy (2024). Her writing has taken her on residencies to Varuna, KSP Writers Centre, Patterdale House and Chateau d'Orquevaux. In 2020 she was shortlisted for the HNSA Elizabeth Jane Corbett mentorship, and in 2022 shortlisted for the Margaret Scott Young Writers Fellowship at the Tasmanian Literary Awards. She coordinates TasWriters youth workshop program, and hosts The Book Shelf on Edge Radio (99.3FM), where she interviews people from the Tasmanian literary community and beyond. Arianne's debut novel Daughters of the Tide will be published by HQ/HarperCollins in June 2026. She is currently working on her second work of historical fiction. Photo by Marilla Glover at Home of Edith