Tides

An intoxicating, compact debut novel by the winner of Columbia's Henfield Prize, Tides is an astoundingly powerful portrait of a deeply unpredictable woman who walks out of her life and washes up in a seaside town.

After a sudden, devastating loss, Mara flees her family and ends up adrift in a wealthy seaside town with a dead cellphone and barely any money. Mired in her grief, Mara detaches from the outside world and spends her days of self-imposed exile scrounging for food and swimming in the night ocean. In her state of emotional extremis, the sea at the town's edge is rendered bleak, luminous, implacable.

As her money runs out and tourist season comes to a close, Mara finds a job at the local wine store. There, she meets Simon, the shop's soft-spoken, lonely owner. Confronted with the possibility of connection with Simon and the slow return of her desires and appetites, the reasons for her flight begin to emerge.

Reminiscent of works by Rachel Cusk, Jenny Offill, and Marguerite Duras, Tides is a spare, visceral debut novel about the nature of selfhood, intimacy, and the private narratives that shape our lives. A shattering and unforgettable debut.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Grove Press
Published: 01/16/2022
ISBN: 9780802159175
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.40h x 4.90w x 1.10d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 08/01/2021 pg. 9
Publishers Weekly 10/25/2021
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2021
Booklist 11/01/2021 pg. 45
Shelf Awareness 01/18/2022