Picador swoops for Chung's 'enchanting' debut novel and story collection

Picador has swooped for the “enchanting” debut novel and short story collection from Gina Chung.

Marissa Constantinou acquired UK and Commonwealth print, digital and audio rights for Sea Change and Green Frog from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein on behalf of Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic. North American rights were sold at auction to Caitlin Landuyt at Vintage. Picador will publish Sea Change in August 2023 and Green Frog in March 2024.

The novel Sea Change tells the story of Ro, who has just entered her 30s and finds herself stuck. The synopsis explains: “She’s going through a break-up, working in a dead-end job at an aquarium, drinking too much, and fighting with her Korean mother. One of the few things that keeps her grounded is a giant Pacific octopus discovered by her marine biologist father, who disappeared 15 years ago on a research trip. When the aquarium sells the octopus to a wealthy investor, Ro finds herself on the precipice of self-destruction. Wading through memories of her youth, Ro has one last chance to re-evaluate her life, her drinking, all her failed relationships and her place in an ever-changing world.”

Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, her work appears or is forthcoming in the Kenyon Review, Catapult, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review and Idaho Review.

Marissa Constantinou, assistant editor at Picador, said: “Gina Chung is one to watch. I couldn’t help but fall in love with her writing style, her masterfully drawn characters and the hints of surrealism that bubble under the surface of very real and relatable issues. Sea Change is enchanting — a whip-smart, octopus-loving narrator searches for hope in deep sea and distant space, tackling loneliness, love and loss along the way. Equally brilliant and surreal are the stories in Green Frog — influenced by Korean fairytales and rooted in themes of motherhood and sisterhood, the range and calibre of this collection blew me away.”

Chung commented: “I’m incredibly thrilled that Sea Change and Green Frog will be published by Picador in the UK and beyond. I wrote this novel and many of these stories during the early part of the pandemic, when loneliness, loss, and the importance of finding connection and hope — sometimes in unexpected places — were very much on my mind. Sea Change is about learning how to show up for yourself and find your place in the world, and I’m so excited that it’s found a home with Picador.”