Sea, Poison

Synopsis

A daring, darkly funny novel about illness, desire, and the violence of modern medicine, Sea, Poison follows Cumin Baleen, a writer in Philadelphia whose life begins to unravel after an autoimmune diagnosis and a botched laser eye surgery leaves her language fractured. As she struggles to continue writing a book about gynecological malpractice, her personal life becomes equally chaotic, entangled in shifting relationships, precarious housing, and the emotional absurdities of polyamory.

Drawing inspiration from Shūsaku Endō's The Sea and Poison and the experimental constraints of the OuLiPo movement, Caren Beilin crafts a fiercely original novel that interrogates the body, medical systems, and the ways language both fails and survives under pressure. At once unsettling, hilarious, and intellectually electric, Sea, Poison is a fearless work of contemporary literary fiction.

About the Author

Caren Beilin is an American novelist and essayist whose work explores illness, embodiment, gender, and power with wit and formal inventiveness. She is the author of Revenge of the Scapegoat, Blackfishing the IUD, Americans, Guests, or Us, and Sea, Poison. Her writing has earned a devoted readership for its sharp intelligence, dark humour, and willingness to push the boundaries of contemporary fiction.

Publisher
New Directions

Publication Date
October 7, 2025

Format
Paperback

Pages
144

Subjects
Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Experimental Fiction · Women's Fiction

ISBN
9780811239516