While I was not a fan of the book with characters that were a bit one dimensional and tried to hard but never actually suceeded, I liked how the life of the ship was a closed society with clear separation between classes which brought to events that start a chain reaction of rebellion. It was interesting as an idea, had lots of potential.

"The Rebellious Tide" is an okay follow up to Tan's first novel. While hinting at echos of his first novel, the pacing was a bit off for me on this one and a bit of a set back for me. While I recommend the first one, it may be okay to pass on this sophomore slump.

I wanted to like this. The tone and content are at odds, the Greek references are SO on the nose to the point that it becomes kind of annoying. I was into it at first, but it lost me around the 20% mark when we are introduced to Diya, a casino dealer who unloads her whole traumatic backstory in 3 pages after being assaulted by a crew member on the ship. When Sebastien said “What happened to you was terrible but you’re free now” that was it for me.

"Rebellious Tide" by Eddy Boudel Tan is a powerful and poignant coming-of-age novel that brilliantly captures the complexities of love, identity, and family against the backdrop of a repressive society. Set in Singapore, this story takes readers on a journey into the world of two young men, Sebastian and Ming, who navigate the challenges of their conservative culture and personal desires.

The novel begins with the unlikely friendship between Sebastian, a privileged young man with a flair for art, and Ming, a working-class boy struggling to reconcile his sexual orientation with societal expectations. As their relationship deepens, they find themselves navigating a world where homosexuality is not only stigmatized but also illegal.

Eddy Boudel Tan's writing is evocative, pulling readers into the heart of Singapore and immersing them in its vibrant and oppressive atmosphere. The vivid descriptions and well-drawn characters make the setting come alive, and readers will feel the weight of societal pressure bearing down on the characters.

The author deftly explores themes of identity, love, and rebellion, offering a nuanced look at the sacrifices individuals make to live authentically in a society that refuses to accept their true selves. The complexities of their relationships with their families add depth to the narrative, showcasing the generational divide and the struggle to reconcile tradition with modernity.

"Rebellious Tide" is a gripping and emotional journey that resonates with readers on multiple levels. It's a story of resilience, defiance, and the universal human desire for love and acceptance. Eddy Boudel Tan's novel is not just a captivating LGBTQ+ narrative but a compelling examination of the universal struggle for self-discovery and personal freedom. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in themes of love, identity, and social justice, and it will leave a lasting impact on its readers.

Eddy Boudel Tan is one author to watch for sure! He just has a way with words that grips you right from the very first page. Highly recommend!

I was super excited to read this one as I loved Eddy Boudel Tan's last novel, After Elias. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't as good and fell a bit short for me.

“ Eddy Boudel Tan’s writing is rich and captivating once again; the descriptions, the characters, the surroundings, they are all so vibrant. This kind of writing keeps me hooked to the pages:
Emotion is like water. Some people keep it in a well, drawing from it by the bucket. Others put it behind a dam. But you - you are an ocean.

The dominating (white) men are visible throughout the story and I loved how Eddy Boudel Tan describes men time after time:
It’s not enough for men to take something away from another. They must make it their own. Brand it for themselves. Leave their mark.”

The premise bought me immediately, but the excessive drama (for my taste) did not end up convincing me.

The premise of this book sounded interesting, but I wasn't able to get into it. The writing style was awkward and unengaging. Too much melodrama.

Sebastien grew up with a single mother who worked as a housekeeper for the wealthy families in town. He never knew much about his father, only select stories his mother would tell him, and Sebastian can never forget that his father left his mother when she was pregnant with Sebastian.

When Sebastian’s mother dies, he knows that this is the time to find his father and get answers and maybe even get revenge. Sebastian gets himself hired as a photographer on the luxury cruise ship where his father, Kostas, is the captain and, without Kostas being aware, Sebastian is looking for answers.

When tensions mount on the ship between the different ranks of crew members, Sebastian winds up in the middle of class struggle where Kostas deems himself the supreme ruler of the ship and its crew. But there is something deeper and more sinister going on aboard the ship and Sebastian knows that Kostas is heavily involved. When Sebastian begins to unravel the truth, his life will forever be changed by the revelations about the man he waited his entire life to find.

I struggled so much with this book most of the way through it. The beginning was fine as we meet Sebastian and learn about his life with his mother. Sebastian grew up without much money and without a father and, now that his mother has died, it’s time that he gets answers. Sebastien has been involved on and off again with Sophie, a childhood friend turned lover, and when Sebastian knows their romantic relationship has come to an end once and for all, he heads to the cruise ship in the Mediterranean where his father is the captain.

The point of view of the story shifts and the whole tone and style of the book was off for me. We are mostly in Sebastian’s point of view, but then randomly it shifts to other characters for a few lines and the structure of that was messy. We also get flashbacks at random times of when Sebastian was younger wedged in, and the flow was completely broken each time this would happen. Sophie also didn’t seem like a good friend to him and, in one flashback, we see Sophie betraying Sebastian in a brutal fashion, but still they remain the best of friends and resume their dating.

When Sebastian gets to the ship, he finds himself involved in a class war between the officers and the crew members. The book did not feel like it was present day, but no time frame was given, and it was difficult to place the story. There are Greek references to be found with the crew members living below deck in what they refer to as “Hades” and when Sebastian starts hooking up with a member of the crew, they refer to each other as Achilles and Patroclus and that was a bit much for what was presented as a casual fling.

Then there is the larger plot of Sebastian finding out what his father is involved with, and the writing style was too hazy for me to become fully immersed in any of it. Most of the plot details were given in broad strokes and the larger scenes felt contrived. At the end, maybe Sebastian was going to be in a relationship with another man that came on the scene late in the book, but that also wasn’t clear. I felt none of the impact the author most likely intended with the story. There wasn’t a lot to like here for me, from the characters, to the plot, to the style and it’s a long book that I don’t recommend.

The premise of this book intrigued me, but I wasn't able to get into it. The writing style was awkward and didn't engage me. DNF.

DRC provided by Dundurn Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: queer Singaporean-Greek protagonist, gay Ukrainian secondary character, Indian secondary character, queer Greek secondary character, Greek secondary and tertiary characters, Singaporean tertiary character, Filipino tertiary characters.

Content Warning: death, racism, classism, slurs, violence, mentions of sexual harassment, mentions of physical abuse, homophobia, mentions of hate crime, mentions of torture, sex-negativism, human trafficking, violence.

The Rebellious Tide is Eddy Boudel Tan’s sophomore compelling literary endeavour, a story about found families, anger, love, justice and introspection.

Sebastien Goh, after years of observation from afar, decides to leave his hometown to go meet the father who abandoned him and his mother in Canada years before, and to look for answers. His journey towards the truth will unveil more than he thinks.

This novel was heavy and raw and angering and inspiring and reflective. I loved the author’s writing style, although I found it hard sometimes to understand whose point-of-view I was reading from. Nonetheless, Eddy Boudel Tan has an amazing voice and I am looking forward to get my hands on his debut After Elias, so that I can revel again in his words.

I really liked Sebastien’s internal development and the array of fully fleshed-out secondary and tertiary characters (my eternal love to Ilya and Diya and Rosa).

The Rebellious Tide is definitely deserving of a read!

I struggled so much with this book most of the way through it. The beginning was fine as we meet Sebastian and learn about his life with his mother. Sebastian grew up without much money and without a father and, now that his mother has died, it’s time that he gets answers. Sebastien has been involved on and off again with Sophie, a childhood friend turned lover, and when Sebastian knows their romantic relationship has come to an end once and for all, he heads to the cruise ship in the Mediterranean where his father is the captain.

The point of view of the story shifts and the whole tone and style of the book was off for me. We are mostly in Sebastian’s point of view, but then randomly it shifts to other characters for a few lines and the structure of that was messy. We also get flashbacks at random times of when Sebastian was younger wedged in, and the flow was completely broken each time this would happen. Sophie also didn’t seem like a good friend to him and, in one flashback, we see Sophie betraying Sebastian in a brutal fashion, but still they remain the best of friends and resume their dating.

When Sebastian gets to the ship, he finds himself involved in a class war between the officers and the crew members. The book did not feel like it was present day, but no time frame was given, and it was difficult to place the story. There are Greek references to be found with the crew members living below deck in what they refer to as “Hades” and when Sebastian starts hooking up with a member of the crew, they refer to each other as Achilles and Patroclus and that was a bit much for what was presented as a casual fling.

Then there is the larger plot of Sebastian finding out what his father is involved with, and the writing style was too hazy for me to become fully immersed in any of it. Most of the plot details were given in broad strokes and the larger scenes felt contrived. At the end, maybe Sebastian was going to be in a relationship with another man that came on the scene late in the book, but that also wasn’t clear. I felt none of the impact the author most likely intended with the story. There wasn’t a lot to like here for me, from the characters, to the plot, to the style and it’s a long book that I don’t recommend.

The Rebellious Tide is a study in how our parents shape us, both for the good and for the bad. Sebastian is a compelling, slightly unreliable narrator, in a story that moves quickly - sometimes a bit too quickly - but maintains a good sense of mystery and builds to a satisfying conclusion.

Wow this book is a trip and a half. I wasn't ready for the rollercoaster. I can't wait to see the public's reaction to this.

the rebellious tide is a very beautiful story with a very intriguing plot, evrytime since I read after Elias I wanted to read something about this author, he has some great of expression and some great ideas I was not expecting

A very slow and very at time really dragging tale of occasional melodrama and occasional plot progression. If this book was a colour, it would be grey for how dull it felt. And not even the queer rep could make me like it.

Now this is a good read for pride month. I started to enjoy at the beginning but as the story proceeded I felt like the pace was slow and the author seemed to tell what to feel and how to feel through the narration, regarding the plot. It would've been better if there were some things for the readers to imagine.

At some places it was unnecessarily melodramatic. But I liked the writing style and the characters.

And if we talk about the theme, it's hard to grapple just one as it covers a lot. We have extra marital affairs, abusive marriage, toxic masculinity, queer love and the dilemma regarding it.
So overall this book conveys a message which is inspiring.

And lastly, thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Dundurn Press, for the chance to read and review this book.

TW: assault, sexual harassment, violence, human trafficking, homophobia, hate crime

Sebastien has only heard stories about his mysterious father, a sailor who abandoned his pregnant mother and left them and when, after a life of struggles, his mother dies, he become obsessed with finding an explanation and maybe revenge too. Boarding a luxury liner where his father Kostas is the commanding officer and posing as a member of the crew, slowly Sebastien uncovers a dark reality and ugly secrets, hidden behind luxury and money. After a public assault triggers the crew's outrage and after joining a revolt against the ruling class of officers, Sebastien finds himself more and more involved in the fight, questioning himself and his own identity and anger.

I liked reading The rebellious tide and I found really fascinating how the luxury liner, the Glacier, replicated the society separations, separating rich from poor, powerful from powerless. In a complex and very relatable microcosm, where the high floors belong to the rich and officers and the lower ones to crew and staff and abused and oppressed workers, Sebastien slowly starts to realize the cruelty and unfairness aboard the ship, where his own father rules on them all, smothering and abusing them.

Sebastien is a complex and skillfully written main character. The story swings from past to present, slowly piecing his history, past and relationship and the reader gets to know him in his rage and shame, in his powerlessness and determination, in his desire to revenge and release. Intense and brilliant is his relationship with his mother and the wonderfully way the author described their struggles in a city where they couldn't manage to fit and be accepted, fighting against the people's stares and prejudices against a single mother and a poor family. Important is also Sebastien's relationship with Sophie, the way they connect and "use" one other and their growth and the relationship with Jerome and the hope for their future.

While the author focuses on Sebastian's search for this father, his revenge and his relationships, queer and hetero, important is also the ship microcosm, very similar to the society, in its "game" of oppressed and saved, hunted and hunters, rich and poor, violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. In this situation, Sebastian and his friends move, fighting against oppression, to be free to be themselves and to love who they chose to love and not to be used and abused.

The writing style is captivating and the worldbuilding, the microcosm, the ship and the various references to the Greek mythology are interesting and fascinating.
While I really loved the references, the plot and the writing style, I have to admit I didn't like so much the characterization, because, apart from Sebastien, the other characters seemed a bit too flat and, above all, his relationship with Nikos and their reference to be Achilles and Patroclus left me a bit baffled, because their relationship wasn't the tragedy one as the original heroes.

Aside these two things I didn't fully liked, the book is really interesting and captivating and I was impressed by how a search for a father became something so complex and intricate, with a compelling worlduilbing, a thrilling mystery and important themes.

Great book, highly recommend for any reader who enjoys the genre and wants to check a box for Pride Month. Will be purchasing for library.