TIME AND TIDE review by Selena Mercuri for The Seaboard Review
J.M. Frey’s Time and Tide is a playful and poignant exploration of time travel, historical fiction, and queer romance, anchored by sharp wit and an emotionally resonant core. In this novel, Sam Franklin—a bisexual woman from the twenty-first century—survives a plane crash only to find herself inexplicably transported to the deck of a British warship in 1805. What follows is a clash of centuries where Sam’s modern sensibilities must contend with the rigid social structures of the past.
“The comedic friction between modernity and history, particularly in the absurdity of etiquette and expectation, is one of the novel’s greatest strengths.”
The novel thrives on its comedic edge, balancing its historical gravitas with moments of genuine hilarity. Sam, a woman used to contemporary nightlife, struggles to navigate Regency England’s customs, as seen when she is asked to dance by the ship’s captain: “I had visions of strobe lights, of gyrating on an overpacked dance floor with a sweating vodka cooler clasped precariously, swinging over my head. Somehow I didn’t think that was what he meant.” Frey’s humour is self-aware and generous, making the reader as much a time traveller as Sam herself. The comedic friction between modernity and history, particularly in the absurdity of etiquette and expectation, is one of the novel’s greatest strengths.
Beyond its wit, Time and Tide is an earnest meditation on love and belonging. Sam’s relationship with Margaret Goodenough—a young woman with literary ambition—unfolds with a depth of emotion that feels timeless. In one of the novel’s most affecting moments, Margaret confesses: “How easily all the small, wounded parts of me were filled with the balm of your affection when I had never intended on allowing myself any form of attachment at all.” The romance is tender and fraught, and the novel does not shy away from the dangers of same-sex relationships in an era where discretion was a matter of survival. Frey handles this tension with care, crafting a love story that is heart-wrenching yet hopeful.
The novel’s language is another of its triumphs, rendering both the immediacy of emotion and the vastness of historical perspective in poetic, evocative prose. Frey captures the weight of a single moment with lyrical precision: “A choice is made in the time it takes to inhale, for a heart to pump once, for a blink to flicker shut and open again. It’s a flap of a hummingbird’s wings, a crack of lightning, the leap of light across a room to an eye. And yet it feels like all the space in the world exists between their start and stop. Universes, galaxies, eons pass in the time it takes to assess a situation, consider all the angles, and arrive at a conclusion.” Her prose is rich and draws readers into the experience of time itself as both fleeting and expansive.
Ultimately, Time and Tide is a novel about love: love across centuries, love constrained by circumstance, and love that dares to defy the limits of time itself. With its sharp humour, deeply felt romance, and philosophical reflections on history and identity, Frey delivers a story that lingers well beyond the final page. For those who enjoy speculative fiction with both intellect and heart, this novel is a rewarding journey through the waves of time.
