bookensemble 's review for:

Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense

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Bora Chung Does It Again

After reading Cursed Bunny, I knew I had to pick up Your Utopia — and it did not disappoint. Chung masterfully blends horror, dystopia, sci-fi, and magical realism into sharp, absurd critiques of the world. Through themes of scientific progress, socio-economic collapse, and isolation, each story feels distinct and leaves you wanting more. Anton Hur, who also translated Cursed Bunny, once again perfectly captures Chung’s dark humor in his Korean-to-English translation. 

Top 3 Stories

1. The Center for Immortality Research
2. The End of the Voyage
3. Seed

Favorite Quote 

Even when both sides agree to compromise, there is always a side that compromises more than the other. Which makes one think that “compromise” is not a thing that really exists, either. All discussions and all negotiations are wars, and the result is always that one side ends up being the intimidating, violent side. (The End of the Voyage, p. 41)

Rating 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars — Obsessed
I’ll be thinking about it for years. Would reread and absolutely recommend.