This Latvian author is known for her dramatic and expressive works, often depicting rural and urban life with a unique perspective. Her plays have graced international stages, and her short stories have been featured in prestigious anthologies, showcasing her ability to capture the complexities of human relationships and environments. She frequently explores themes of country and city, employing a style characterized by strong emotion and vivid character portrayals. Her prose, including acclaimed novels and story collections, has established her as a significant voice in contemporary European literature.
Andrievs Radvilis is a former jockey on the Riga trotting track whose solitary retirement is interrupted when a young journalist comes to interview him about his career. Their meeting leads to a journey of reminiscence across Latvia, never straying far from the mighty Daugava river, which flows through the story as Radvilis recalls his early life.
Told more or less in reverse chronological order, High Tide is the story of Ieva, her dead lover, her imprisoned husband and the way their youthful decisions dramatically impacted the rest of their lives. Taking place over three decades, High Tide functions as a sort of psychological mystery, with the full scope of Ieva's personal situation and the relationship between the three main characters only becoming clear at the end of the novel. One of Latvia's most notable young writers, Abele is a fresh voice in European fiction, her prose is direct, evocative and exceptionally beautiful.