The Jellyfish Problem

“Tessa Yang’s The Jellyfish Problem is an utterly original debut. It’s a gripping sea monster mystery, yet beneath the surface lies not only a terrifying jellyfish but a meditation on grief, community, and friendship.”—Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Golden Summer

“I thoroughly enjoyed this inventive tale, with an intriguing mystery swimming just below the surface and a cast of quirky, relatable characters forced to confront the unknown.“—Nikki Erlick, New York Times bestselling author of The Measure and The Poppy Fields

“A uniquely quirky, fascinating, and heart-warming ode to sea monsters, science, and the frontiers that are still beyond our understanding. This book is marvelous!”—Eve J. Chung, USA Today bestselling author of Daughters of Shandong

“Tessa Yang’s prose is like a friend in your ear: laugh out loud funny one minute and deeply vulnerable the next. Her debut novel, The Jellyfish Problem, deftly combines elements of sea creature horror, romance, and island mystery into a moving story about lost friendship and a love of the ocean. You will drink this right down and want another.”—Yume Kitasei, author of Saltcrop

“Uniquely enchanting.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Tessa Yang blends science, mystery and emotional healing in an imaginative debut … This novel should appeal to readers who enjoy atmospheric stories where personal connections and the unknown intertwine.”—Rome-News Tribune

“The Jellyfish Problem is a fresh, imaginative take on the sea-monster story that balances wonder, mystery, and emotional depth beautifully. What surprised me most was how moving the story became by the end. The blend of humor, melancholy, wonder and suspense kept me fully invested from start to finish. It’s rare to find a novel that feels this original while still being so emotionally accessible.”—Woman’s World

“Yang’s crystalline prose captures the characters’ fear and yearning. It’s a well-crafted literary monster tale.”—Publishers Weekly

“Using sharp prose and beautifully developed characters, Yang gives readers a novel about new discoveries, love, and loss, with a little bit of mystery mixed in.“—Booklist

“With a varied cast of characters, the novel captivates from start to finish and provides a sense of solace as the events unfold. The finale is perfection, sure to leave readers feeling satiated and impassioned, with sticking power that lasts long after the book’s close.“—Library Journal (starred review)

“[Yang] seamlessly blends detailed marine science and magical realism—all with welcome doses of well-timed humor—interweaving relationship drama, love (and hate) story, mother/daughter confrontations, corporate labyrinths, and a few pokes at the publishing industry. Glowing at the novel’s core is the universal need for finding community.”—Shelf Awareness

Tessa Yang is the author of the short story collection The Runaway Restaurant. Her work has been published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Cincinnati Review, Joyland, Foglifter, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from Indiana University and currently lives in Upstate New York. This is her first novel.

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