Mathematical genius. Brilliant engineer. Revered astronaut. Keith Corcoran is all of these things and more, but his otherworldly talents do nothing to prepare him for the tragedy that befalls his family, or its irrevocable outcomes. After a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station, Keith returns to a house that has already ceased to be a home - emptied entirely of furniture and the people he loves. It is here that Keith tries to make sense of the ghosts, the memories and the feelings that he can barely acknowledge. His experiences in space quickly fade into the distant past. What remain in their wake are endlessly interlocking cul-de-sacs, big box stores and enormous parking lots. Within this seemingly hopeless expanse, an eccentric man from a distant country presents an opportunity for redemption. Their unlikely friendship leads Keith to an understanding of all he has lost, and a sense of how to live under the weight of gravity. The Infinite Tides is a captivating and comic tragedy about love, loss and resilience. An indelible and nuanced portrait of modern life as viewed through the prism of American suburbia, it tenderly illuminates the strengths and weaknesses that flow through us all.

A stunning debut novel about an astronaut's return to earth and the losses he must confront - elegant, moving and deeply resonant with our times

About the Author
Christian Kiefer earned his PhD in American literature from the University of California, Davis, and is on the English faculty of American River College in Sacramento. He is an active poet, songwriter and recording artist, and lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California with his wife and five sons.

Reviews
Smart, lyrical, deeply moving. The central character, a NASA astronaut who has touched the stars, must come to earth, as we all must. What he finds down here beneath the heavens is dizzying in its emotional complexity and pure aching beauty * T. C. Boyle *
A breathtakingly beautiful and honest rendering of one man's massive life crisis. Part Space Oddity, part Revolutionary Road ... There are moments in this book I will never forget * Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead *
A beautifully written tale about an astronaut who comes back down to Earth with a bump **** * Daily Mirror *
Beautiful, ambitious writing * We Love This Book *
Will break your heart and take your breath away * Ayelet Waldman, author of Red Hook Road *
The Infinite Tides takes as its subject an astronaut brought to earth by abandonment and bewilderment ... A subtle and moving novel, a re-entry and recovery story that eloquently inhabits the terrain of grief and endurance * Antonya Nelson, author of Bound *



Book Information
ISBN 9781408831526
Author Christian Kiefer
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 280g