Southern Tides

Review by Roseanna White Most of us have seen the different sides of the South leading up to the Civil War, through movies and books and television. We've learned about the evils of slavery, we've seen the side of the rich plantation owners. In Parker's Secret Tides, we are taken into the heart of South Carolina pre-War, but this time we get to see both sides through a different class, the poor whites that are looked down on by the wealthy but are still a step above the slaves. Josh Cain is a good man, but one haunted by his deeds in the Mexican War. He loves the Lord, he loves his family. He works with his brother on The Oak Plantation, under the wealthy Tessiers, and he's content with his lot in life. He strives to be better, to be worthy of the forgiveness the Bible offers him. But when his wife dies of a mysterious ailment and numerous disasters strike the rice plantation, he can't help but wonder if he's being punished for his sins. Hampton York is nothing like his half brother-he knows well that in order to get ahead in the world, he has to seize each opportunity that presents itself. So when he and Josh find a dying man miles from home with a box of money by his side, he pockets the cash. When he returns home to find his master dead, he skims a little here, a little there. He'll do whatever it takes to be the master himself someday-after the blows life dealt him, he surely earned it. Camellia York has long been in love with the eldest Tessier son, Trenton, but how can she marry him after the way his father died? Marshall Tessier had propositioned her, had threatened to force her, and when she had fought, he had drunkenly fallen and killed himself. Haunted, she doesn't know her own heart. Surely she loves Trenton-but what of their differences in faith? What of their different social classes? Could she ever fit into his world? She learns to read from an educated slave named Ruby who comes to The Oak days after Master Tessier's death, a slave who has her own drive and determination to find something better. But will those lessons be enough to let her belong in his world, or will she forever be beneath him? Josh can't be strong around his brother, York slips further and further from what is right, Camellia doesn't know whether to love the man who betrays her but swears he loves her, and Ruby can't forget the husband and son she was separated from when she was sold. The tides of fortune threw them all together and threatens to rip them all apart. The only question is who will be left standing when the water recedes again. Secret Tides was a fantastic, involving read. A little longer than it looks, it packs a lot of story into its pages and gives the reader a good look into many characters' minds. We follow many different threads that will undoubtedly lead us through the rest of the series, and I for one cannot wait to see what happens to the families whose lives revolve around The Oak. I've always appreci