Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness

by Jennifer Tseng

Book Overview

Finalist for the 2016 PEN AWARD for Debut Fiction Books may be Mayumi Saito's greatest love and her one source of true pleasure. Forty-one years old, disenchanted wife and dutiful mother, Mayumi's work as a librarian on a small island off the coast of New England feeds her passion for reading and provides her with many occasions for wry observations on human nature, but it does little to remedy the mundanity of her days. That is, until the day she...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1609452690
• ISBN13: 9781609452698
• Release Date: May 2015
• Publisher: Europa Editions
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

From the outside seems “too racy” but from the inside feels familiar, relatable

This book is as much about love as it is about how to navigate feelings of depression and isolation, complex friendships, and our own decisions and interpretations of what is morally questionable behavior. I was given this book at random, intrigued by the blurb on the cover, and watched my friends wince at the topic as I described it… which made me want to dislike it. But distancing myself from enjoyment was impossible as I made my way through to the halfway point, and I was looking for every free moment to continue the story to the beautiful ending. Truly a worthwhile, complex and thought provoking read. Lots of depictions of scenery and serenity in the book as well!