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A review by bonnybonnybooks
The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo
5.0
I don't know what it says when the best works on elderly female serial killers that I've read were both written in a non-English language (this and [b:An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good|40104741|An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Äldre dam, #1)|Helene Tursten|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526077553l/40104741._SX50_.jpg|62169561]).
This is a South Korean book that tells the story of Hornclaw, who has worked as an assassin her entire adult life and is now facing the specter of retirement. The hard flint around her heart has also started flaking away, as shown by her sweet relationship with her dog and her inexplicable fondness for a young doctor and his family. Unfortunately for Hornclaw, it is not only aging that is making her final assignments so dangerous. There's a young rival who has a decades-old vendetta against her (which the audience learns but in a darkly comedic vein, she is completely unaware of).
Byeong-mo does an excellent job with Hornclaw - she's tough and ruthless, but also polite and at times empathetic. Even through translation, Hornclaw's "voice" is clear and engaging.
Perhaps part of why I enjoy this and An Elderly Lady so much is not only that they are interesting psychological books from a fascinating perspective, but also because they give insights into another culture, without the usual depressing tone of most books in English set elsewhere or elsewhen. There's discussion about some serious topics here - corruption, gentrification, how women and the elderly are treated - but it's wrapped up in murders and explosions. The final action scene feels right out of a Hollywood movie. Even in bleak moments it is never a downer, but a quickly paced ride.
This is a South Korean book that tells the story of Hornclaw, who has worked as an assassin her entire adult life and is now facing the specter of retirement. The hard flint around her heart has also started flaking away, as shown by her sweet relationship with her dog and her inexplicable fondness for a young doctor and his family. Unfortunately for Hornclaw, it is not only aging that is making her final assignments so dangerous. There's a young rival who has a decades-old vendetta against her (which the audience learns but in a darkly comedic vein, she is completely unaware of).
Byeong-mo does an excellent job with Hornclaw - she's tough and ruthless, but also polite and at times empathetic. Even through translation, Hornclaw's "voice" is clear and engaging.
Perhaps part of why I enjoy this and An Elderly Lady so much is not only that they are interesting psychological books from a fascinating perspective, but also because they give insights into another culture, without the usual depressing tone of most books in English set elsewhere or elsewhen. There's discussion about some serious topics here - corruption, gentrification, how women and the elderly are treated - but it's wrapped up in murders and explosions. The final action scene feels right out of a Hollywood movie. Even in bleak moments it is never a downer, but a quickly paced ride.