Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Yang's first novel (after the story collection The Runaway Restaurant) is imaginative, spanning a range of topics and featuring lyrical writing and complex characters. Marine biologist Jo Ness grieves the loss of her best friend and colleague Aldo, who was working with her on a jellyfish guide. She receives a call from Nadia, an old friend she hasn't seen in years, pleading for her help with a massive jellyfish that is terrorizing a Maine island community. Nadia is nowhere to be found when Jo arrives in Shattering Point, and the locals there each have a different take on the sea monster, which they have named Clementine. 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. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures or Emily Habeck's Shark Heart who are looking for the same immersiveness, heartbreak, and comfort those novels evoked.—Juliana Newsom

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A scientist grapples with the discovery of a mysterious sea creature and its impact on a small island in Yang’s assured debut. Marine biologist Jo Ness receives a call from Nadia, her best friend and unrequited crush in college, after 11 years of silence. Nadia implores Jo to come to the tiny island off Maine where she lives, to examine an unusually large jellyfish. When Jo arrives, she’s greeted with hostility from the locals, who warn her about the dangerous jellyfish, a giant glowing creature they nicknamed Clementine. Meanwhile, Nadia’s husband, Roger, reports that she’s gone missing. Determined to find Clementine, who appears every full moon, Jo panics when she spots both the animal and what seems to be the dive-suited ghost of her former diving partner Aldo. Jo attempts to leave the island, only to discover the real reason why Clementine is such a threat. Racing against the next full moon, Jo struggles to save the islanders from danger while navigating her jealousy toward Roger, recurrent sightings of Aldo, mixed signals from the host at her bed-and-breakfast, and other complications. Yang’s crystalline prose captures the characters’ fear and yearning. It’s a well-crafted literary monster tale. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Co. (June)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Yang’s debut is a masterful mixing of literature, horror, and lore, written by an author who understands exactly what she wants to say and how she wants to say it. Jo Ness is a struggling scientist who studies jellyfish, inspired by her mother’s story of a widow lost to the ocean in search of her son. Jo, who has just suffered the traumatic loss of her good friend Aldo, is in an avoidant and sometimes tempestuous relationship with her mother. When Nadia, Jo’s college friend with whom she had a brief romance, calls her from a remote island and says that they have a “jellyfish problem,” Jo immediately flies to help her despite her misgivings. However, there is more to the jellyfish—and the island—than meets the eye, and Jo is soon caught up in the reluctance of the people to give up the secrets of their home—and Nadia is suddenly nowhere to be found. 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.