Big Low Tide

‘Her writing is atmospheric and descriptive…’ – cypruswell.org
‘I loved Neubert’s descriptions of the island, zooming over it with a bird’s eye view and her image of it as an amoeba-like entity, drawing its sustenance in through the port and washing away its waste with the tide’ – ourbookreviewsonline.blogspot
A small island stands in the Channel, barely changed by the tides. On its surface, the islanders go about their daily lives aware that it’s not possible to make a move undetected here, where everyone knows everybody else; where the neighbours will always notice, and judge. They know this, but they may have forgotten that it’s always possible to leave. 
Big Low Tide follows Brenda, a feisty barmaid at the local pub on Port Victoria island, as her marriage breaks down and she suddenly finds herself raising her two young boys alone. After discovering he can’t take the children with him, her estranged husband, Peter, has left alone for Ireland in search of better prospects and a trip at sea. Worn down by the constant struggle and pregnant with a third child whose father is nowhere to be seen, Brenda’s spark begins to dwindle and her children become more and more unruly – and less of a priority. No longer able to cope, she moves in with her sister in law, Elsa, who without warning walks out one day leaving the run of the house to Brenda. Seeing Brenda’s slow decline, a friend persuades Peter to return and soon after on a wild and windy night, her youngest son disappears. As they search for the boy little do they know how close they are to finding something dark and terrible. This is a powerful story of reconciliation, hope and the wreckage of relationships broken, its dark undercurrents proving all is rarely as it first may seem.
Candy Neubert is the author of the poetry collection, Island , and the novel Foreign Bodies.
Praise for Foreign Bodies:
“Neubert is sympathetic and non-judgmental throughout, with an understanding of her characters and their humanity that shines through. This is a novel that draws you in and keeps you there.”  – Western Mail
“Thoughtful and understated, Neubert’s first novel tackles the chasm between the first and third worlds well, examining the post-colonial landscape sensitively and with a deft hand.” – Big Issue