Sea Change

A Novel

By: Gina Chung

Narrated by: Jeena Yi

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

• 2023 Long-listed for Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

A NEW YORK TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • An enchanting novel about Ro, a woman tossed overboard by heartbreak and loss, who has to find her way back to stable shores with the help of a giant Pacific octopus at the mall aquarium where she works.

“Immersively beautiful.... A kaleidoscope of originality." —Weike Wang, acclaimed author of Joan is Okay

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 the aquarium, and her nights are spent drinking sharktinis (Mountain Dew and copious amounts of gin, plus a hint of jalapeño). 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 realizes she can either lose herself in the undertow of reminiscence, or finally come to terms with her childhood trauma, recommit to those around her, and find her place in an ever-changing world.

©2023 Gina Chung (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

**LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE**

**A Most Anticipated Book of the Spring by The New York Times**

**A Most Anticipated Book of the Year by The Millions, Literary Hub, Zibby Mag, and Debutiful**

**One of Electric Literature's "62 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2023"**

“This debut novel is ‘moving, textured, and at times laugh-out-loud,’ Wang says.” —Today.com

“If you’ve ever been stuck in familiar patterns and felt yourself losing momentum, you’ll relate to this novel’s protagonist. When we meet Ro, she’s mourning a breakup, drifting away from her best friend, and letting childhood traumas lie. But as she prepares to say goodbye to Dolores — the giant octopus she takes care of at her aquarium job, who’s been sold to a wealthy investor — she goes through her own metamorphosis. Trust us: This unique, smart, emotionally rich book is a must-read.” —The Skimm

“Sea Change is an immersive and unforgettable debut, that melts the cockles of your heart.” —The Masters Review

Letting Go

This is a very well written novel about loss and the cuts endured by clinging to it.

“It seems incredibly cruel that, no matter how much has been taken from you, you never get used to the dizzying shock of losing something you love. The dull, crushing ache of it afterward.”

Alternating between present and past, the author gives us a good look at her main character's life and loves so that we too feel her losses and are rooting for her to rise up out of her despair. There was a point there toward the end where I was thinking about giving up on Ro. Her spiraling, self-destructive behaviors were starting to wear thin. Then Gina Chung turned it around and provided the character growth I’d been yearning for. Lee Winter, an author that I enjoy reading who has a lot of interesting things to say, mentioned recently how important it is for authors to provide aftercare in their stories after we readers have spent hours of our lives with these characters, become invested in their lives and well being and then are put through the ringer. I couldn't agree more and Gina Chung really came through with the aftercare in the last hour or so of this audiobook. I finished the story with a smile, feeling light and optimistic about Ro's future.

Besides the good reviews and what sounded like an interesting plot, I picked up this audiobook because one of the characters is an octopus. I developed a huge crush on Dolores and I could not get enough of her. (New aspiration: hold hands with an octopus 🐙.) And the book cover...love it!

I look forward to reading more of Gina Chung's work and will be on the lookout for more audiobooks narrated by Jeena Yi, who did a stellar job on this.

Moving

This was a wonderful story. I am especially glad about the resolution of Lo’s story.

Octopus love.

I can’t get enough of brilliance of cephalopods. Albeit, Delores is in captivity, instead of free.

Fun, excellent audio storytelling!

This story was narrated perfectly, making me feel as though I was in the author”s mind. The life lessons and detailed descriptions, along with stories of relationships across cultures and animals, made this a refreshing escape for me!

Boring, slow

I never really figured out the point of this book. It just kind of went on and on.