Mona At Sea

“Mona at Sea is a delightful debut, one that marks Elizabeth Gonzalez James as a writer to watch.” — Adam Johnson, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master’s Son

“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!” — Cristina García, author of Here in Berlin and Dreaming in Cuban

“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.” — Mat Johnson, author of Pym and Hunting in Harlem

“A hilarious but pointed debut that gives voice to our increasingly existential crisis.” — Stephanie Elizondo Griest, author of Mexican Enough and All the Agents and Saints: Dispatches from the U.S. Borderlands

“Touching on themes of ambition, addiction, and adulthood, Mona at Sea is a charming debut.” — Julie Zuckerman, author of The Book of Jeremiah

“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.” — Jim Gavin, author of Middle Men and creator of AMC’s Lodge 49

“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!” — Janis Cooke Newman, author of A Master Plan for Rescue and Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln

“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.” — Joshua Mohr, author of Model Citizen and Northern California Book Award-winner for All This Life

“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 Gonzalez 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.” — Aubrey Hirsch, author of Why We Never Talk About Sugar

“How do you write an honest, moving, and very funny book about coming of age in an economic downturn and having all of your dreams crushed? In Mona at Sea, Elizabeth Gonzalez James has done just that, with an unerring eye for the details of suburban American family life and its many absurdities. Mona is a whip-smart and darkly funny character who has spent years expressing her pain and discomfort in a most astonishing way. As Mona finds her sea legs, she gives us hope for our own resilience in hard times. This is a fantastic read and a remarkable first novel from a writer who deserves to take her place alongside David Sedaris and Ottessa Moshfegh. — Galadrielle Allman, author of Please Be with Me: A Song for My Father, Duane Allman

“I knew Mona at Sea was going to be exactly the right comic novel for this moment in time…an absolute delight to read.” — The Rumpus

“Caustically funny and revealing…Fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter and Sally Rooney’s novels will want to read this one.” — Library Journal

“Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James is utterly compelling and fills the void of young adult literature for 20-somethings.” — Paperback Paris

“A powerhouse of a book that brims with amusement park–like fun.” — Diablo Magazine

“Gonzalez James offers a winsome meditation on how to carry on living in the aftermath of disrupted plans that most humans can identify with.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Mona at Sea is sharply written Millennial malaise that dares to be hopeful.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“…funny and poignant…[readers] will both laugh out loud and be moved by Mona’s exploits.” — Booklist