Tides

Henfield Prize-winner Sara Freeman debuts with an intoxicating novel about a 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. 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 ocean at night. As her money runs out and the tourist season comes to a close, Mara finds a job at the local wine store.

There, she meets Simon, the shop's soft-spoken owner, a man whose loneliness she immediately recognizes as a mirror to her own. 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 novel about the nature of selfhood, intimacy, and the private narratives that shape our lives. A shattering and unforgettable debut.