Meet Us by the Roaring Sea

A haunting exploration of memory, technology, and the power of human connection in a near-future world. Meet Us by the Roaring Sea, an New York Times Editors' Choice and finalist for the Lambda Award in Bisexual Fiction, follows a young woman as she grapples with her mother's death in the near future. Seeking solace, she immerses herself in translating an old manuscript about female medical students living through drought and war, creating a new way of existence to help those around them. As the translator's life and the manuscript intertwine, the arrival of a childhood friend, a stranger, and an unusual AI project force her to question her own moral compass and understanding of compassion in a suffering world. Akil Kumarasamy's spellbinding and singular tale deftly weaves together themes of memory, technology, family, and the enduring power of human connection. Through a masterful blend of literary prose and speculative elements, Meet Us by the Roaring Sea invites readers to ponder the depths of our involvement in the lives of others and the true meaning of creating a better world.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE "A spellbinding book." —Megha Majumdar"Akil Kumarasamy is a singular talent." —Cathy Park HongIn the near future, a young woman finds her mother’s body starfished on the kitchen floor in Queens and sets on a journey through language, archives, artificial intelligence, and TV for a way back into herself. She begins to translate an old manuscript about a group of female medical students—living through a drought and at the edge of the war—as they create a new way of existence to help the people around them. In the process, the translator’s life and the manuscript begin to become entangled.Along the way, the arrival of a childhood friend, a stranger, and an unusual AI project will force her to question her own moral compass and sense of goodness. How involved are we in the suffering of others? What does real compassion look like? How do you make a better world?