The debut collection of genre-defying short stories from the Korean Literature and Society’s New Writer Award. Seven diversely wild and gripping stories – dreamy, dark, lyrical and wry – that expose the oddness of how we live and how we might come to live. Moving between science fiction, surrealism, speculative fiction and uncanny realism, these are rich and exhilarating stories that will haunt your summer. ‘A bold, weird, brave exploration of the imagination.’ Vanessa Onwuemezi, author of Dark Neighbourhood. ‘These strange stories of isolation and longing will stay with you – puzzles you can’t quite solve.’ Jessie Greengrass, author of Sight and The High House. ‘Hur’s stories force us to reconsider our reality, trace back our memories, re-examine our lives. A unique experience.’ Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny. ‘Adventurous, experimental, and brimming with wit.’ Gu Byeong-mo, author of The Old Woman With the Knife
Heuijung Hur is the winner of the Korean Literature and Society New Writer Award Winner. Her work has appeared in The White Review.
Read: Failed Summer Vacation by Heuijung Hur, trans. by Paige Aniyah Morris, Wasafiri
First lines: Imperfect Pitch
His walks have become less and less frequent. He used to take them five times a week, which has shrunk to three, and now there are many days he doesn’t leave the house at all. It is as if the walks require too much mental energy.