By Sinclair Adams
We don’t live in a perfect world. There are thousands of problems raging across the Earth, yet only so few that we can actually fix with our own hands. Given the impossibly large weight of the world and all its complexities, it’s easy to despair.
This is why I believe art is so important – not just as a form of escapism, but as a compass that can reorient us in an ever-turning globe. Gina Chung’s debut novel Sea Change is one of those special books that captures extremely important themes at a time when we all might need it most. It navigates the traumas of growing up with parents who are constantly fighting, the impending loss of the environment, the obnoxious self-important worldview that many white people inhabit, as well as just how bad it feels when the people we most care for disappoint us.
In short, Sea Change is the story of Ro, a woman who’s dealing with a brutal breakup with her boyfriend. If you enjoy the catharsis of breakup stories, that synopsis should be enough to make you want to read this book. The character building between Ro and her ex, Tae, is vivid and realistic. You can see how the couple had chemistry when they were together, and you feel the visceral heartbreak as Ro struggles to move on. Sea Change captures just how complicated real relationships can be. You can find the right person, but you yourself may not be ready to live your life with them.
Sea Change is also the story about Ro’s broken family, her fights with her best friend, and a speculative near-future that’s falling apart while she’s struggling to adapt.
As the storyteller, Chung has great narrative control of the timeline. Sea Change is a nonlinear novel, taking long walks into Ro’s troubled past. Through the time capsule of girlhood, we see how wounds of the past have grown into the present. In this way, Sea Change is a coming-of-age novel for adults in a mid-life crisis, as well as the inner child.
One of the most charming aspects of Sea Change is how it integrates speculative science. Ro works at an aquarium that is host to a variety of creatures, the most miraculous being a giant octopus named Dolores. The speculative elements come in the form of predicting what the near-future will be like for the planet and for human culture. Dolores the octopus was found in a highly polluted area and has adapted to it in many creative ways. Chung also sneaks in many facts about marine biology, but does so in a way that thematically fits the plot and characters. Sea Change never feels like a lecture on animal science – it reads like a reflection on how the wonders of nature can reveal truths about humanity.
Dolores the octopus acts as somewhat of a spiritual guide to Ro, and is one of her last connections to her missing father. Between Ro’s crumbling relationships and her unhealthy coping mechanisms, Chung introduces another conflict as the financially struggling aquarium sells Dolores to a rich collector. Everything in Ro’s life has gone wrong, and there is nothing she can do to fix it.
As a protagonist, Ro is a mess in such a relatable way. She has clear awareness of her problems but instead of addressing them and trying to change, she falls into toxic routines and unhealthy ruminating. The flashbacks to her childhood are symbolic of her own inability to let go of the past. How can she possibly move on, when so many of her current problems were formed by her past trauma? Ro is someone who’s self-aware but is scared to take the steps to make her life her own – something that I’m sure many people can relate to.
Just like in real life, Sea Change is written with an honest mix of both pain and joy. Some of the moments in the story feel giddy and nostalgic, while on the very same page, a mention of racism or sexism might leave a bad taste in your mouth. There are so many powerful lines that make you want to put the book down for a few seconds, just to take it all in – and also many casual moments of Ro going about the humdrum of daily life. Reading Sea Change was like reading an improved version of The Catcher in the Rye, told from the perspective of a Korean American woman in a future where they’re launching a mission to Mars.
One of my favorite parts about Sea Change is how it resolves. I don’t want to spoil all the details, because it’s something that I think everyone should read and discover for themselves, but there is no grand epiphany. Despite all her pain, Ro simply continues to live, making small but meaningful decisions to be better to herself and others. Life absolutely sucks, and we’re all destined to feel lonely at some point. Sea Change takes a critical look into exactly how loneliness consumes us, and how that loneliness can ironically be caused by the people we love the most. Ro does not have the perfect answer on how to keep living, because in the end, nobody does. Ro’s journey can help you take comfort in the chaos.
One of the structural limitations of this book is that it’s sometimes difficult to place yourself in the setting. Because the narrative weaves in and out of time so much, it can be difficult to remember where exactly you are. Similarly, a few characters come and go without being firmly established, so it can be easy to forget names and need a bit of a memory jog. The best thing I recommend is to read this book in only a few sessions, so you can experience it all unbroken.
If you’re more of a fan of traditional novels told in chronological order, and with no loose ends, this might not be the book for you. But if you want to read a character study and a hopeful look at a dark future, this might exactly be your cup of tea (or Ro’s drink of choice—a glass of sharktini).
Sea Change is available from Barnes & Noble, Blue Cypress Books, Elliott Bay Book Company, Green Bean Books, Kinokuniya, and Vroman’s Bookstore.
Sinclair Adams is a writer interested in speculative and science fiction narratives. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Las Vegas and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing at Chapman University. She is an editor for Ouroboros Magazine, Chapman’s journal of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction. Follow her on Instagram @sinclairwrites.