In this striking debut novel, a young artist rashly moves overseas to teach ESL and to find herself, and gets more – and less – than she bargained for.
Feeling like her life is falling apart, a young artist named Maggie follows a classmate abroad, with a goal to reinvent herself. In Japan, she is welcomed by a community of irresistibly compelling expats, and quickly becomes enmeshed in their circle of friendships and dramas.
Despite having no real qualifications, Maggie easily gets a job teaching English at Language Love Academy. There she meets Keiko, an overenthusiastic, middle-aged student who challenges Maggie’s often-faltering efforts. When Keiko offers to teach Maggie Japanese, Maggie gets a glimpse of a different side of the country.
Did Maggie and her new friends come to Japan to find themselves – or to disappear? Are their friendships and relationships real, or just another illusion? Maggie can’t tell whether she is sinking deeper into her hapless life overseas or gaining a foothold on a real future for herself.
Welcome to Sunny Town is a riveting debut novel that cracks open a popular rite of passage and the worldwide ESL industry. Bringing to mind the work of Ottessa Moshfegh, Sally Rooney, Naoise Dolan, and Melissa Broder, Théodora Armstrong paints a deft portrait of twentysomethings at the turn of the twenty-first century, yearning for identity, connection, and the courage to begin again.
