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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A collection of Korean Short Stories by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022. The stories range from contemporary horror to sci-fi to folk horror.
Again and again, Chung manages to subvert the reader's expectation and you are left questioning your assumptions about the people and the narrative. The horror doesn't always jump at you from the page, instead it reels you in gradually and surely, and by the end you are left with terrifying realisations.
The translator has done a great job keeping the author's intent across the stories while making them accessible to the non-Korean audience.
Word of warning - it is a horror book and may not be for everyone. And some of the stories are around, uh, bodily functions, so you may chose to skip those (The Head, and the Embodiment).
My favorites - Goodbye, My Love; Ruler of the Winds and Sands; and Reunion.
Again and again, Chung manages to subvert the reader's expectation and you are left questioning your assumptions about the people and the narrative. The horror doesn't always jump at you from the page, instead it reels you in gradually and surely, and by the end you are left with terrifying realisations.
The translator has done a great job keeping the author's intent across the stories while making them accessible to the non-Korean audience.
Word of warning - it is a horror book and may not be for everyone. And some of the stories are around, uh, bodily functions, so you may chose to skip those (The Head, and the Embodiment).
My favorites - Goodbye, My Love; Ruler of the Winds and Sands; and Reunion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Incest, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
"Not the cries of someone driven mad with fear, but the tears of someone who understood and was saddened by their own loneliness—the tears of a human being."
i took my sweet time with this one because i am The Biggest Scaredy Cat Weenie In The World™ who cannot handle being even sorta unnerved.
this collection of short stories did just that, quite a few times. it's haunting because they're grotesque (scared of my toilet now...haha...thanks, bora chung); it's haunting because the fears each story addresses are deeply engrained in us.
i can't say more without spoiling small precious details. this is a layered, uniquely memorable collection.
now, to find a sweet not spooky new read.
i took my sweet time with this one because i am The Biggest Scaredy Cat Weenie In The World™ who cannot handle being even sorta unnerved.
this collection of short stories did just that, quite a few times. it's haunting because they're grotesque (scared of my toilet now...haha...thanks, bora chung); it's haunting because the fears each story addresses are deeply engrained in us.
i can't say more without spoiling small precious details. this is a layered, uniquely memorable collection.
now, to find a sweet not spooky new read.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker International Prize, Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung is a collection of bizarre short stories that captivates you as well as making you squeamish several times. It dares to defy genre by blending genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, folktale, and magical realism. With ghastly narratives and heart wrenching twists, Chung’s uncomplicated prose demands your undivided attention. Although two of the stories felt slightly inconsistent to me, I can’t help but turning pages after pages. Anton Hur skillfully rendered Cursed Bunny into English by capturing its very essence.
Chung presents a provocative look at stigmatization of women, child exploitation and capitalism abuse apart from the fact that greed wreck lives and families. She paints poignant portraits of human desires, loneliness, aging and generational trauma. The whimsical and vividly grotesque ingredients in Cursed Bunny are necessary to remind the readers of the cruelty that resides in the world. The lines between reality and fiction often blurs.
My favorite stories from this work are where a head pops out of the toilet in "The Head", a woman endures unfertilized pregnancy by taking birth control pills in "Embodiment", an old man limping into a same direction every 5 minutes in "Reunion" and a cursed bunny created as a tool for revenge in "Cursed Bunny". If they intrigue you the same, well, consider this eccentric collection of short stories is summoning you.
Fun fact: One of the 10 short stories, “Cursed Bunny” was influenced from an interview with a son of an owner of a dumpling factory. The dumpling factory was destroyed by malicious rumors spread by a powerful rival.
Chung presents a provocative look at stigmatization of women, child exploitation and capitalism abuse apart from the fact that greed wreck lives and families. She paints poignant portraits of human desires, loneliness, aging and generational trauma. The whimsical and vividly grotesque ingredients in Cursed Bunny are necessary to remind the readers of the cruelty that resides in the world. The lines between reality and fiction often blurs.
My favorite stories from this work are where a head pops out of the toilet in "The Head", a woman endures unfertilized pregnancy by taking birth control pills in "Embodiment", an old man limping into a same direction every 5 minutes in "Reunion" and a cursed bunny created as a tool for revenge in "Cursed Bunny". If they intrigue you the same, well, consider this eccentric collection of short stories is summoning you.
Fun fact: One of the 10 short stories, “Cursed Bunny” was influenced from an interview with a son of an owner of a dumpling factory. The dumpling factory was destroyed by malicious rumors spread by a powerful rival.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, War
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes