Mona At Sea - Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Product Details:
Paperback: 270 pages
ISBN: 9781951631017
About the Book:
In this sharp, witty debut, Elizabeth Gonzalez James introduces us to Mona Mireles — observant to a fault, unflinching in her opinions, and uncompromisingly confident in her professional abilities. Mona is a Millennial perfectionist who fails upwards in the midst of the 2008 economic crisis.
Despite her potential, and her top- of-her-class college degree, Mona finds herself unemployed, living with her parents, and adrift in life and love. Mona’s the sort who says exactly the right thing at absolutely the wrong moments, seeing the world through a cynic’s eyes. In the financial and social malaise of the early 2000s, Mona walks a knife’s edge as she faces down unemployment, underemployment, the complexities of adult relationships, and the downward spiral of her parents’ shattering marriage. The more Mona craves perfection and order, the more she is forced to see that it is never attainable. Mona’s journey asks the question: When we find what gives our life meaning, will we be ready for it?
About the Author:
Before becoming a writer, Elizabeth Gonzalez James was a waitress, a pollster, an Avon lady, and an opera singer. Her short story, “Cosmic Blues,” was a finalist in Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers, and her stories and essays have received multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She’s attended the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Tin House Writers Workshop, and Lit Camp. She lives with her family in Oakland, California. Find her on Twitter and Instagram: @unefemmejames
“This sharp, painfully honest debut centers on Mona Mireles, a struggling (more like drowning) millennial. Mona is the girl who succeeds at everything she tries, and she graduates from college certain that she’ll put her finance degree to good use in her new job at a megabank in New York. The only problem is that the bank that hired her has just gone under in the economic crash of 2008. Now jobless and back home with her parents, Mona is trying to live down her viral video meltdown, for which the internet’s called her the “Sad Millennial.” Despite sending out more than 400 résumés and going on numerous interviews, she’s had no offers, and months of failure have pushed her into a cynical depression and self-destructive behaviors. VERDICT If this all sounds too painful to bear, it is, at times. It’s also caustically funny and revealing, as Mona stumbles into a new version of what her life could be. Fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter and Sally Rooney’s novels will want to read this one.”
“I knew Mona at Sea was going to be exactly the right comic novel for this moment in time ... an absolute delight to read.”
“Mona at Sea is a delightful debut, one that marks Elizabeth Gonzalez James as a writer to watch.”
“Gonzalez James is skilled at orchestrating hysterical scenes filled with distinctive characters... a winsome meditation on how to carry on living in the aftermath of disrupted plans.”
“Mona at Sea” is sharply written Millennial malaise that dares to be hopeful.”
“Mona at Sea reads like an intimate late night conversation with the friend you never knew you needed. Written with humor and insight and vulnerability, it’s a tribute to the struggle to stay upright as the world around you comes falling down.”
“Mona at Sea is a very funny, darkly comic first novel about a high achiever, on the brink of starting her adult life, who has her hopes and aspirations dashed amid the Great Recession.”
“Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James is utterly compelling and fills the void of young adult literature for 20-somethings.”
“Years from now, when I try to remember what the last decade felt like, I will return to this remarkable debut. Elizabeth Gonzalez James writes with a rare combination of wit, style, and heart, and in Mona she has created the perfect hero for navigating all the absurdities and anxieties of contemporary America.”
““A fully entertaining ‘coming of age’ novel by an author with a definitive flair for reader engage narrative storytelling, “Mona At Sea” by Elizabeth Gonzales James is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections.””
“...funny and poignant...[readers] will both laugh out loud and be moved by Mona’s exploits.”
“Mona at Sea is a hilarious, high-octane novel about coming into one’s own without coming undone. The millennial, bicultural narrator, Mona Mireles, is smart and skewering, contending with a troubled past threatening to derail her present. Elizabeth Gonzalez James is a fresh new voice in contemporary literature. Bienvenida!”
“Mona at Sea is a portrait of a moment. Set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis, we see both the vulnerability and hard-fought resilience of our hero, Mona. This is a rare book that manages to be both cutting and tender; it examines cynicism without being cynical, and Elizabeth Gonzales James opens and heals wounds with equal skill and dexterity. I found myself immediately swept into the luscious prose, thought-provoking dialogue, and textured world of these characters who are both meaty and mysterious. It’s a stunning debut from a great talent,”
“James’ debut novel Mona at Sea (Santa Fe Writers Project)offers a look into the wickedly funny and often insightful journey Mona faces to find her place in the world again in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.”
“Mona is the sympathetic protagonist in “Mona at Sea,” Elizabeth Gonzalez James’ crisply written debut novel that has a coming-of-age sensibility.”
“This Millennial coming of age story is a sharp, witty take on the Great Recession. Mona Mireles is the perfect narrator—overly critical, self-deprecating, bitingly honest, and very, very funny. Her keen observations about life, work, and love during the less than halcyon days of the early 2000s are almost compensation for having lived through them. I loved this book!”
“Mona Mireles is known to all as “sad millennial” but Mona and the colorful cast of characters surrounding her kept me grinning throughout the tale. Touching on themes of ambition, addiction, and adulthood, Mona at Sea is a charming debut, reminding us that the best way to face an uncertain future is with grit and wit.”
“A fantastic read and a remarkable first novel from a writer who deserves to take her place alongside David Sedaris and Ottessa Moshfegh.”
“...a powerhouse of a book...a joy to read and reread.”
“I loved every second of following Mona around. She had me with her gallows humor, her hard persona, and her poignant charm. This terrifically deranged story will keep you laughing, yes, but more vitally, you’ll feel it in your heart.”
“A funny, real, page-turning read. I loved Mona At Sea.”