• Lemon cover
    In English,  Mystery

    Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun

    Lemon is an extremely short mystery novel by Korean writer Kwon Yeo-sun and translated by Janet Hong. It takes place over a number of years and jumps between three different narrators – all dealing with the death of the victim, Hae-on, in their own unique ways. However, as you move from one narrator to the next, it is clear that this isn’t a simple mystery novel at all. Instead, Kwon has woven together a story of trauma and healing. All of this is done under the guise of being a simple mystery story. Though short, the story packs a punch not easily forgotten. It does bear warning though, it is…

  • 世界を超えて私はあなたに会いに行く cover
    In Japanese,  Science Fiction

    世界を超えて私はあなたに会いに行く by Lee Kkoch-Nim

    Originally written in Korean by Lee Kkoch-Nim and translated into Japanese by Akiko Yashima, 世界を超えて私はあなたに会いに行く (known in English as I Will Cross Time for You), is a heartwarming, yet heartbreaking story about two young women, both named Eunyu, who are writing letters to each other across time. The story is told exclusively through the letters they write to each other, with one Eunyu writing from 2016 and the other writing starting in 1982. Through these letters, we learn a lot about each of the women. We learn about their deepest fears and their biggest dreams. There is turmoil for both and a ton of misunderstandings, but also a lot of…

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  • Almonds cover
    In English,  Literary Fiction

    Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

    The debut novel of Korean author Won-pyung Sohn and translated by Sandy Joosun Lee, Almond it is a story about monsters. What is a monster and who gets to decide when someone is a one? In a world where monsters roam, things are not as simple as they appear – even the idea of the monster itself. These issues are at the core of Almond and Sohn has dealt with them beautifully. Through Lee’s translation, the author’s words are preserved with clarity and precision and all events in the book are described with perfect balance. However talking about monsters comes at a price. Almond contains its fair share of gore…