Twin Tides

Gr 8 Up–Nguyen’s nightmarish debut is a sinister, ghostly tale hinging on an unexplained disappearance, buried secrets, and mysterious deaths. Upon receiving a call to report the finding of her mom’s body, Aria, also known as Ariadne, embarks on a mission to uncover the events surrounding her mom’s disappearance. After arriving at the police station in Minnesota, Aria experiences a chance meeting with a girl sharing her face and realizes she will not be alone. Together, Aria and Caliste, her newfound twin, set out to discover what caused their mother’s death. Grappling with grief, the girls are hurled into the middle of the tempest as their relationships, cultural traditions, and desire for revenge become their Achilles heel. A tangled web of deceit unravels to reveal that many people, including family members and a school friend, had deceived Aria and Caliste for years. Peeling back the layers to reveal the essence of their lives is as heart-wrenching as it is necessary. Cloaked in the idiosyncrasy of a mythical tale unfolds a far more complex and in-depth story. The book is written in alternating points of view, with eerie supernatural elements, including ghosts, paranormal hauntings, and scientific phenomena. Readers will be captivated by the emotional tension as they are drawn deeper into the plot and their sense of empathy for the characters. Aria and Caliste are Vietnamese American.