The Rebellious Tide - by Eddy Boudel Tan (Paperback)

About the Book

When his mother dies after a lifetime of struggle, Sebastien is obsessed with finding the father he's never met -- the commanding officer of a luxury liner. Posing as a member of the ship's crew, Sebastien becomes entangled in a revolt, leading him to uncover a disturbing secret about his identity.

Book Synopsis

When his mother dies after a lifetime of struggle, Sebastien is obsessed with finding the father he's never met - the commanding officer of a luxury liner. Posing as a member of the ship's crew, Sebastien becomes entangled in a revolt, leading him to uncover a disturbing secret about his identity.

Review Quotes

The Rebellious Tide is an impassioned meditation on alienation and belonging, power and violence, and the marks mothers and fathers leave upon their children. Sebastien Goh is a nuanced and wholly original protagonist. I will be thinking about him and his journey for a long time to come.

The Rebellious Tide plumbs the depths of what ties us to our parents, and how destiny can - and sometimes must - be overcome. With clear and filmic prose, complex characters, and a keen grasp of the emotional and psychological struggles of young adults finding their way in life, Boudel Tan establishes himself as an exciting voice in Canadian literary fiction.

The Rebellious Tide is littered - in the best possible way - with complexity and intrigue, delving into the significance of sounds, the strengths and struggles of anger, and the challenges of forming an individual identity among conformists.

A propulsive, unpredictable adventure by a master storyteller. Tightly plotted with complex characters, Boudel Tan offers a cinematic second novel about identity, family, terrible secrets, romantic love, and immeasurable loss. Boudel Tan is a rare talent who can deftly weave tenderness and heartbreak with high-seas action and nail-biting drama into a perfectly paced narrative.

A tautly written, thoroughly compelling saga of identity and survival, The Rebellious Tide will keep the reader hooked to the very last page.

Boudel Tan is a whiz at pacing, a natural at breakneck plot, and satisfying backstory, and adept at managing handfuls of characters ... Interweaving frivolity and politics - along with romance, strife, one-liners, and assorted heist-caper schemes - Boudel Tan delivers a story that's enticing and smile-inducing.

Eddy Boudel Tan is a rising star in CanLit.

Sexual and cultural identities are explored in a novel that doesn't close its eyes to the darkness, even as it celebrates a world that is vast and filled with adventure.

Tan's latest is an exhilarating and immersive novel filled with adventure, suspense and, above all, humanity.

What I love about Eddy Boudel Tan's writing is his willingness to explore complicated lives and complex hearts. A perfect blend of mystery, family secrets, and romance, The Rebellious Tide is an ambitious and layered novel that pulls you under its wave in the best possible way.

The Rebellious Tide is an impassioned meditation on alienation and belonging, power and violence, and the marks mothers and fathers leave upon their children. Sebastien Goh is a nuanced and wholly original protagonist. I will be thinking about him and his journey for a long time to come.-- "Alexis Schaitkin, author of Saint X"

The Rebellious Tide plumbs the depths of what ties us to our parents, and how destiny can -- and sometimes must -- be overcome. With clear and filmic prose, complex characters, and a keen grasp of the emotional and psychological struggles of young adults finding their way in life, Boudel Tan establishes himself as an exciting voice in Canadian literary fiction.-- "Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society"

The Rebellious Tide is littered -- in the best possible way -- with complexity and intrigue, delving into the significance of sounds, the strengths and struggles of anger, and the challenges of forming an individual identity among conformists.

-- "Ormsby Review"

A propulsive, unpredictable adventure by a master storyteller. Tightly plotted with complex characters, Boudel Tan offers a cinematic second novel about identity, family, terrible secrets, romantic love, and immeasurable loss. Boudel Tan is a rare talent who can deftly weave tenderness and heartbreak with high-seas action and nail-biting drama into a perfectly paced narrative.-- "Lindsay Wong, award-winning author of The Woo-Woo"

A tautly written, thoroughly compelling saga of identity and survival, The Rebellious Tide will keep the reader hooked to the very last page.-- "Midwest Book Review"

Boudel Tan is a whiz at pacing, a natural at breakneck plot, and satisfying backstory, and adept at managing handfuls of characters ... Interweaving frivolity and politics -- along with romance, strife, one-liners, and assorted heist-caper schemes -- Boudel Tan delivers a story that's enticing and smile-inducing.-- "Vancouver Sun"

Eddy Boudel Tan is a rising star in CanLit.-- "Winnipeg Free Press"

Sexual and cultural identities are explored in a novel that doesn't close its eyes to the darkness, even as it celebrates a world that is vast and filled with adventure.-- "Quill & Quire"

Tan's latest is an exhilarating and immersive novel filled with adventure, suspense and, above all, humanity.-- "Xtra"

What I love about Eddy Boudel Tan's writing is his willingness to explore complicated lives and complex hearts. A perfect blend of mystery, family secrets, and romance, The Rebellious Tide is an ambitious and layered novel that pulls you under its wave in the best possible way.-- "Brian Francis, author of Natural Order and Fruit"

About the Author

Eddy Boudel Tan writes stories that uncover how strange and extraordinary life can be, some of which can be found in Joyland, Yolk, Gertrude Press, and the G&LR. His debut novel, After Elias, was released in 2020. Eddy lives in Vancouver.