Sea Change by Gina Chung
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Web ID: 16490943Sea Change
Ro's dysfunctional family has influenced her entire life. Her parents had terrible fights and her dad was gone for long periods of time on research expeditions. When her mother found out that her dad was having an affair, things got worse and then her father disappeared when she was a teenager. Now years later Ro is facing another loss as her long time boyfriend has been chosen to help establish a colony on Mars. Her last connection to her father is Delores, an octopus at the aquarium where she has been working for a number of years. When she hears that Delores is being sold, it is the last straw and she has to find a way forward before she self-destructs.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good Book
Good book. I read it for the octopus, but Ro grabbed my heart. I found I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to see what she would do. Her coming of age story had me yelling at her in my mind and hoping for her. I will watch for future books by Gina Chung.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Sea Change
It is interesting how literature now seeks to reach young adults who do not have a certain direction. Why does everyone think we should have it right? We are between 20 and 30 years old, we don't know what we are going to want to do for the rest of our lives, many things have happened to us throughout the years we have been alive, with a changing society all the time, a pandemic... and even with all that, many times we are asked to be super clear about everything. Sea Change transports us to that dystopian world where it seems that everything remains the same. Although we are exploring other planets to be able to go to populate them (for what? to destroy it like this one?), and we meet Ro who has an octopus named Dolores as the central pillar of her life, which her father found missing. This book is quite reflective and what I liked the most is that we not only got to know Ro's life but also the people around her, and they are not simple stories, some of them are quite crude and convey situations of violence or abuse that they are naturalized. Will that still happen in the future? I hope not. Without a doubt an interesting, reflective, dystopically interesting story. Thanks Pan Macmillan for the ARC I read on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A lovely story!
When you look back on this book, there’s not a lot huge that happens. But it keeps you rooting for Ro and Dolores. Really good writing for a debut novel!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Best Debut of 2023!
Gina Chung's novel, Sea Change, is a wonder of a debut. I was first introduced to Chung's luminous fiction via her short stories that have appeared extensively in literary journals (AND will be published in her first story collection next year!) and was (and am still) amazed that a writer with such exquisite, clear prose, nuanced and complicated characters, and tightly woven story arcs can sustain structural precision, narrative tension, and the most gutting range of emotional resonance in a book-length work. Reading Sea Change is like a master class in how to write fiction and I am absolutely here for it. Ro, a 30something Korean American and Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who changes color to indicate her mood, are at the center of this deeply moving story. Ro is struggling--her boyfriend has recently left her for a mission to Mars, her best friend since childhood is getting married and growing away from Ro, and her distance from her mother feels as wide as the 50-mile stretch of ocean her father was lost in when she was a teenager. She is drifting through her days working at a New Jersey mall aquarium and drinking her nights away when it is announced that Dolores, her strongest link to to her father, is being sold to a wealthy investor, Ro teeters on the edge, drawn dangerously toward self-destruction and the oblivion alcohol provides, weaving through her memories and trauma, hoping to find her way out. Sea Change is magic, deserving of all the pre-publication anticipation and excitement, and Chung is an immense talent whose books will be on my forever TBR list from now on.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Deep-in-thoughts vibes!
Ro is a Korean American woman in her thirties - she's estranged from her mother, her boyfriend left her to join a mission to Mars and she has an ordinary job at a mall aquarium. Ro's closest companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus, the only connection to her father who disappeared during an expedition. This is essentially Ro's journey of self-understanding - through flashbacks and glimpses of present-day events, one better comprehends Ro as a character and the reason she doesn't trust happiness. She's not the most likable, messy and finds comfort in Dolores. I found interesting the way Chung makes use of (sea) animals and environment, whose nature works as mirror of human behavior. The quiet plot and intimate tone invite introspection about the complexity of family, loss, love, loneliness and immigrant experience. I enjoyed having some contemplative moments as we, like Ro, projected our own concerns onto the animals and circumstances, philosophizing over relationships and life in general. The occasional depressing moments are smartly balanced with humorous ones. Dolores is such a captivating and unique element and I wished to see more between Ro and Dolores. The prose, reminiscent of Weike Wang, is full of tenderness, which I am fond of. Regardless of the overall poignant touch, the story ends on a note of hope. My small complaint is that the ending wrapped up too quickly. Deeply sensitive and vulnerable, SEA CHANGE is a character-driven debut that allows one to confront one's inner self. For those looking for less plot and more deep-in-thought vibes, I would highly recommend this one.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com