‘Absolutely stunning . . . Full of longing, mystery, fear and hope. I loved this book to pieces!’ – Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face
Ro is stuck. She’s just entered her thirties, she’s estranged from her mother, and her boyfriend has just left her to join a mission to Mars.
Her days are spent dragging herself to her menial job at an aquarium, and her nights are spent drinking sharktinis (mountain dew and copious amounts of gin, plus a hint of jalapeno). With her best friend pulling away to focus on her upcoming wedding, Ro’s only companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who also happens to be Ro’s last remaining link to her father, a marine biologist who disappeared while on an expedition when Ro was a teenager.
When Dolores is sold to a wealthy investor intent on moving her to a private aquarium, Ro finds herself on the precipice of self-destruction. Wading through memories of her youth, Ro has one last chance to come to terms with her childhood trauma, recommit to those around her, and find her place in an ever-changing world.
‘Utterly original‘ – Bryan Washington, author of Memorial
‘Sea Change stole my big weirdo heart‘ - Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
Genre: Literary Fiction
Ro is stuck. She’s just entered her thirties, she’s estranged from her mother, and her boyfriend has just left her to join a mission to Mars.
Her days are spent dragging herself to her menial job at an aquarium, and her nights are spent drinking sharktinis (mountain dew and copious amounts of gin, plus a hint of jalapeno). With her best friend pulling away to focus on her upcoming wedding, Ro’s only companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who also happens to be Ro’s last remaining link to her father, a marine biologist who disappeared while on an expedition when Ro was a teenager.
When Dolores is sold to a wealthy investor intent on moving her to a private aquarium, Ro finds herself on the precipice of self-destruction. Wading through memories of her youth, Ro has one last chance to come to terms with her childhood trauma, recommit to those around her, and find her place in an ever-changing world.
‘Utterly original‘ – Bryan Washington, author of Memorial
‘Sea Change stole my big weirdo heart‘ - Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Sea Change tugged at my heart and refused to let go. With tenderness and perceptiveness, Chung deftly navigates family, loss, friendship and the intricacies of love, especially for ourselves. Between giant Pacific octopuses and humans, this remarkable debut reminds us that we are not so different - all of us hoping to be witnessed, all of us striving to surface through our loneliness to connect, even when we know nothing is permanent." - Elaine Hsieh Chou
"From the first page, Sea Change stole my big weirdo heart. Ro is a narrator whose voice is so lively and distinct that it doesn't matter if you relate to her or her octopus obsession - she is electric and you would be willing to follow her anywhere. With her debut, Chung has proven she is a true original, the rare kind of writer who can be simultaneously witty and deeply sensitive, confident and devastatingly vulnerable." - Jean Kyoung Frazier
"A wild blessing of a debut. Gina Chung's curiosity, precision and grace have created a world both strange and recognizable, the kind of place you can find a version of yourself you did not know existed, and call her home." - Mira Jacob
"There are no limits to what Chung can do. Her prose is so immersively beautiful that at times I felt swept away in a wave, admiring from underwater, her scintillating refractions of light. Chung's debut is a kaleidoscope of originality. She will enchant you." - Weike Wang
"Gina Chung's Sea Change is both elegant and jagged, sharp and lush. It's so utterly original, with Chung's rich and rewarding prose guiding and charting new territory in love and grief and growth. This novel about settling into yourself, changing alongside your family, eclipsing expectations, and searching for hope in infinitude is humorous and ruminative, transcending genres entirely. Chung's writing is masterful, and Sea Change is glorious." - Bryan Washington
"From the first page, Sea Change stole my big weirdo heart. Ro is a narrator whose voice is so lively and distinct that it doesn't matter if you relate to her or her octopus obsession - she is electric and you would be willing to follow her anywhere. With her debut, Chung has proven she is a true original, the rare kind of writer who can be simultaneously witty and deeply sensitive, confident and devastatingly vulnerable." - Jean Kyoung Frazier
"A wild blessing of a debut. Gina Chung's curiosity, precision and grace have created a world both strange and recognizable, the kind of place you can find a version of yourself you did not know existed, and call her home." - Mira Jacob
"There are no limits to what Chung can do. Her prose is so immersively beautiful that at times I felt swept away in a wave, admiring from underwater, her scintillating refractions of light. Chung's debut is a kaleidoscope of originality. She will enchant you." - Weike Wang
"Gina Chung's Sea Change is both elegant and jagged, sharp and lush. It's so utterly original, with Chung's rich and rewarding prose guiding and charting new territory in love and grief and growth. This novel about settling into yourself, changing alongside your family, eclipsing expectations, and searching for hope in infinitude is humorous and ruminative, transcending genres entirely. Chung's writing is masterful, and Sea Change is glorious." - Bryan Washington
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