Starred review from September 9, 2024
Kang (The Vegetarian) delivers an indelible exploration of Korea’s historical traumas through the story of a writer who discovers how her friend’s family was impacted by the 1948–1949 Jeju Massacre, in which U.S.-backed Korean forces killed over 30,000 Jeju Island residents suspected of aiding insurgents. Kyungha spends her days alone in her apartment outside Seoul, where she suffers from migraines and nausea and is plagued by nightmares of a snowy hill where upright tree trunks resembling bodies are submerged by an advancing tide. One morning, she’s unexpectedly contacted by her friend Inseon, who has been hospitalized in Seoul and begs Kyungha to fly to her home on Jeju to care for her bird, Ama, who will not survive long without food. Kyungha travels to Jeju during a fierce snowstorm, and upon her arrival is met by Inseon’s apparition, who tells her about the torture of Inseon’s father after his home was burned by the Korean military, and how Inseon’s mother came home from a cousin’s house to find her entire village executed—except for her brother, whose uncertain fate haunted her for years. In dreamy yet devastating prose, Kang details Inseon’s evolving relationship with her late mother, whom Inseon cared for during her final years as she struggled with dementia and memories of the massacre. The result is a meticulously rendered portrait of friendship, mother-daughter love, and hope in the face of profound loss. Kang is at the top of her game.
Starred review from June 27, 2025
Nobel laureate Han's (The Vegetarian) dreamlike latest begins as Kyungha receives an urgent plea from her friend Inseon, who is gravely ill and has been hospitalized after an accident. Inseon asks Kyungha to travel to Jeju Island to save her cherished pet bird, who will die if she's not fed soon. Battling a fierce snowstorm, Kyungha embarks on a perilous journey fraught with physical and emotional peril. Finally arriving at Inseon's home, Kyungha is shaken when she encounters Inseon's spirit, who tells her about the horrors of the Jeju Massacre of 1948-49, in which nearly all of Inseon's family was murdered. Han's haunting novel examines women's friendships and mother-daughter relationships while stressing the importance of bearing witness to historical injustices. Greta Jung narrates the audio with nuanced precision, sensitively conveying Han's lyrical prose. Jung's delicate and somber performance conveys the weight of the characters' unspoken truths and the beauty of the friendships at the story's core. VERDICT This deeply affecting audiobook will resonate with readers of contemporary literary fiction, those interested in Korean history, and anyone drawn to stories of enduring friendship and survival.--Susan McClellan
Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.