The Sea & Us

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

'This novel by Catherine de Saint Phalle resembles a beautiful symphony... a story that is exquisitely written. Novels of this quality are a rare and pleasurable event.' - ArtsHub, 5 star review