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Undertow
225 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1971
4 people want to read
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November 30, 2025
This book is a bit underappreciated on Goodreads (I'm providing what is, at the time of writing, its second review). So I thought I'd show some support and provide folks a bit of an idea as to what they're getting into with this one...
Two scions of an old Bermudian family crumbling from aristocracy into poverty conceive of a daring heist to right their fortunes. Hijinks ensue.
Like all of Burland's work, there's much to enjoy. His descriptive abilities are as powerful as ever, and there are several sequences...a melancholic dinner on a boat, a back-breaking day of labour at the base...that are breathtakingly evocative.
With all that, this is the first Burland book I've read that I couldn't outright recommend. The plot veers into standard exploits as things progress, and the characters aren't as vivid, or as interesting, as in Burland's best work. Also, Burland's prediliction of graphically describing sex and sexual lust feels less in service to story here and more like unregulated kink sharing.
TW: One of the POV characters is, to not mince words, a pedophile. There's only one chapter where we spend any time in his head, with his urges, but it's a chapter that soils the whole experience of the rest of the book. Proceed with caution.
Two scions of an old Bermudian family crumbling from aristocracy into poverty conceive of a daring heist to right their fortunes. Hijinks ensue.
Like all of Burland's work, there's much to enjoy. His descriptive abilities are as powerful as ever, and there are several sequences...a melancholic dinner on a boat, a back-breaking day of labour at the base...that are breathtakingly evocative.
With all that, this is the first Burland book I've read that I couldn't outright recommend. The plot veers into standard exploits as things progress, and the characters aren't as vivid, or as interesting, as in Burland's best work. Also, Burland's prediliction of graphically describing sex and sexual lust feels less in service to story here and more like unregulated kink sharing.
TW: One of the POV characters is, to not mince words, a pedophile. There's only one chapter where we spend any time in his head, with his urges, but it's a chapter that soils the whole experience of the rest of the book. Proceed with caution.
Displaying 1 of 1 review