From
the Stella shortlisted author of Poum and Alexandre, this is a
heartwarming novel about longing, absence and the people we unexpectedly come
to love.
After
many years spent living in Seoul, a young man called Harold drifts back to
Australia and rents a room above a fish and chip shop called The Sea
& Us. Who he meets and what he experiences there propels him
to question his own yearnings and failings, and to fight for meaning and a
sense of place that can only be reached by facing what is lost.
By turns electric, tender, and hopeful, The
Sea & Us is a gem of literary imagination. Catherine
de Saint Phalle brilliantly captures disparate characters and their
common human desire for community and connection. Long after the
last page closes, ‘we can hear the bell tinkle. Someone wants some
fish and chips.’
'Mesmerising. Full of love and charm...beautifully written.' — Herald Sun
