A work of autofiction that delves into the difficulty and beauty of life. The protagonist, grappling with an existential crisis at 30, reflects on her life from her first love to the present, arriving at the valuable realization that, even when we feel lost and alone, it only takes a glance around to discover that we never truly are.
At thirty, a woman finds herself completely lost. Every pillar that once supported her has crumbled: her grandmother has passed away, she’s moving out of her home, she’s divorced the man she once believed was the love of her life, and she’s left behind what everyone, including herself, considered her “dream career.” All of this to venture into the uncertain path of becoming a novelist. And what better time to take the plunge than during the 2020 pandemic that brought the world to a standstill for months?
As the protagonist discovers she’s not as alone as she imagined—with her best friends and her inseparable dog offering unconditional support—the reader travels through her life via flashbacks. Each memory unveils key moments of her emotional journey, explaining the events that led her to this profound crisis and, ultimately, to her recovery.
She recalls her first love, whom she met when she moved from Cancún to Puebla, and how she once dreamed he would be her lifelong partner. However, fate intervened when he transferred to another university, leaving their relationship in limbo. She also recounts how, at just 19 years old, she met the great love of her life, who would soon become her husband.
Only with the passage of time and a clearer mind does she come to understand how much that relationship shaped her, even to the point of considering her wedding day the most difficult day of her life. A celebration she barely remembers because she had to medicate herself to endure the family pressure and attention of the guests.
Now that all of it is behind her, life presents new opportunities—and perhaps new loves. She learns that love manifests in many forms: the affection she feels for her newborn niece, the unwavering support of her friends, and, of course, the unique bond with her dog.
With this renewed perspective, she finally feels ready to write an open-ended chapter in her life, filled with hope and the certainty that, while the path may twist and turn, challenges can be overcome, and everything can end well.
RELEVANT DATA: The Sea Is Full of Jellyfish is the debut novel by promising author Paola Carola, who uses autofiction as a means to heal herself—and, in turn, her readers. Her writing style is deeply personal and introspective, at times comedic but also profoundly nostalgic. Most of the novel is told in the first person, except for the “parenthesis” chapters, where it feels as if the author steps outside herself to make comments or annotations about her own life.
Reading this story evokes echoes of Girls or Normal People, as if Valeria had merged with The Worst Person in the World.
Anyone who has experienced a breakup, a loss, a depressive episode, heartbreak, or professional disappointment can find something to relate to in these pages. This relatability is precisely what readers—already numbering in the thousands, including many audiobook listeners—have praised most about the novel.
The reviews say:
“What a beautiful tale about the life cycle of love and the courage it takes to bloom from the deepest abysses.” – Bookmate Reader
“It’s a story of resilience, self-acceptance, and self-love. Long live friendship.” – Goodreads
“Paola tackles so much in this story: it begins with grief and takes us through mental health, reconnecting with ourselves, questioning, rediscovering, and allowing ourselves to write our own version of the story.” – The Storygraph
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Film, TV Film.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish.
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