The Folded World A Novel

When Charlie Shade and Alice Bussard find each other, neither is prepared for the powerful, aching feeling of love that unites them. After falling for the cheerful and empathetic young man, Alice asks God: "Please, leave us alone. Leave us just like this." But as their relationship evolves, and their family grows with the addition of twin girls, so too does Charlie's career as a social worker. Drawn to people in crisis, Charlie struggles to remain neutral when dealing with the troubled souls he meets. But as boundaries begin to blur and temptations arise at work and at home, Charlie and Alice head toward an emotional collision that will challenge their marriage in ways they never thought possible.

Amity Gaige is a graduate of Brown University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of the acclaimed novel O My Darling, chosen by the National Book Foundation for its "5 Under 35" program to recognize the achievements of five first-time fiction writers each year. Gaige is the winner of a Fulbright Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship.