Goodbye, Again

“There's something in the way Jonny Sun tells stories that makes you feel like he can see right through you. No matter the medium, he speaks directly to readers, inviting us to intimate conversations on loneliness, belonging and burnout. Honest and opinionated, Sun feels like your friend…every essay in Goodbye, Again is peppered with nuances informed by his constant moves, self-imposed expectations and bittersweet goodbyes, recognizable at first sight to another third culture kid in America. Take my word for it — let Jonny Sun into your life.” — NPR “Sun’s collection is an almost too-perfect companion to the present anxiety, exhaustion and loneliness wrought by the pandemic. . . .Through essays and minimalist drawings that resemble wood cutouts, Sun begins to re-evaluate his relationship to the world, and “this constant voice in my head telling me that my own rest and recovery and catharsis were not valuable to anybody,” including himself. Amid our fast-paced and distracted culture, it is oddly calming to read these obsessive, but also quiet and tender, dispatches from a mind overwhelmed by guilt and worry: over how often to water plants or call friends, how to properly scramble eggs or talk at parties, how not to be so alone.” — New York Times Book Review “Offers insight into the workings of an exceptionally busy, productive mind as well as the price of living in a hypercompetitive society . . . A quietly provocative collection.” — Kirkus Reviews “This poetic, humorous, and heartfelt collection will have readers nodding along, laughing, and maybe even crying, but more than anything they will be engrossed and craving more. Similar to Sun’s previous work, this is another standout.” — Library Journal (starred review) “Captivating and immersive  . . .To spend time with this book is to spend time in the private world of a creative, sensitive person who finds life inviting, beautiful and rich, but also overwhelming, scary and exhausting." — BookPage, Starred Review "Goodbye, Again is the very best book of Sun’s early career. Consisting of mostly short bursts of inspiration, introspection, and hopeful observations, the book is exactly what we all need right now. Easy to pick up, flip through, and almost always find the very words you need to hear in that very moment, while also being meaty enough to sit with and read in longer bursts, Goodbye, Again is a joyful look at everyday life from one of literature’s most compassionate and well-rounded minds. It is, in a word, fantastic." — Shondaland