The Sea in the Metro

I am the worst person in the world.
Bad mother. Bad lover. Bad worker. Bad woman. Bad friend ...

An exploration of motherdom and ego, culture and art, love and pain, The Sea in the Metro tells the story of a new mother in Paris trying to make it work – and failing. What happens when the control you thought you had over your life is usurped by your nature?

Jayne was raised to believe she could have everything. Child, career, relationship, even a life in Paris. So why does she feel like a monster? As her ego wars with her natural instincts, Jayne searches for answers in friendship, the city, memories of her late mother, art, writing and New Wave films … and finds only more questions. There are parts of herself that parenthood won't let her avoid.

Unsentimental and untamed, The Sea in the Metro is an unflinching excavation of modern womanhood that marks the thrilling return of an incredible talent in Australian literature.

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Praise for Paris or Die:

'A witty and observant raconteur, and merciless chronicler of her own foibles, she's like the love child of David Sedaris and Helen Garner.' – Linda Jaivin, The Saturday Paper

'Terrific, crisp writing … like a latter-day Bonjour Tristesse.' – The Age, PICK OF THE WEEK

'A rollicking yarn that is humorous, poignant and sexy, and always evocative of Paris.' – The Australian

'Tuttle’s honesty and raw self-exposure creeps on you, as does her own near-death experience.' – Herald-Sun

'A love letter to Paris: not the idealised city Tuttle had imagined it to be, but a real and imperfect place where she feels "alive, more alive than ever before".' – The West Australian

'A vivid memoir of damage, grace and healing which manages to be funny, irreverent and moving all at once.' – Luke Davies

'Jayne Tuttle's writing is a delicious delight.' – Christos Tsiolkas