THE TIDE: A Novel

Date

2015

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa

Abstract

In The Tide, high school sophomore Andreia Carvalho has always been an odd one out. In the homogenous community of Jackson Falls, Pennsylvania, her Portuguese-American ethnicity has always been noticeable, and it has made her the target of bullying. The bullying, though, is only part of the problem. Dreia fights moderate OCD and depression on a daily basis, and though nobody else seems to know it, Dreia has frightening memories of being assaulted by her cousin as a child which cause her anxiety and fuel her obsessive nature. Despite this, Dreia has good friends in Teddy and Emmy-Lynn and an active social life. Things start to change for Dreia when Teddy falls for her and she begins to suspect that her secret childhood trauma may not be so secret after all. After their first family Christmas with Dreia's aunt in a decade, she and her parents both reveal that they've known all along about the assault, and Dreia turns to Teddy for emotional support. This care system doesn't last long, and after a fateful car accident Dreia is forced to find her own strength to sort through her depression and her loss.

Description

Keywords

Depression, Loss

Citation

DOI

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