For readers of Elif Batuman and Sally Rooney, a beguiling debut novel about finding oneself after heartbreak.

After suffering her first big heartbreak two years earlier, Penelope Lin has built a quiet life with no romantic entanglements. She spends her days cataloging a museums vast collection of Qing Dynasty bound-foot shoes and in the comfortable company of close friends. One day, she happens to meet Hoang, who confesses to releasing mice from the cancer research lab where he works. Hoangs openness catches Penelope off guard; from then on, she finds her carefully constructed life slowly start to unravel. Told in Penelopes witty, vulnerable, and thoroughly endearing voice, Gingko Season captures three seasons of reawakening, challenges, and transformation.

This wise and tenderhearted novel explores the nature of our deepest friendships as seriously as it does the dizzying terror and thrill of falling in love, and the complications of trying to live a life that matches your ideals.

Format: Paperback
Published: UK, 2025
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
Pages: 250
Language: English
ISBN 10: 1324086149
ISBN 13: 9781324086147