To the Kennels
And Other Stories
Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell, Heinz Insu Fenkl
- 184 Pages
- October 1, 2024
- ISBN: 9781956763669
- Imprint: Arcade Publishing
- Trim Size: 5.5in x 8.25in x 0in
Description
An acclaimed story collection from the author of the Shirley Jackson Award–winning novel The Hole
Six elephants bolt from an amusement park and vanish; where they’re found brings back memories of a forgotten dictator. A car ride on a foggy highway at night becomes a drive through hell for a young couple getting away for the weekend together. A family lives the dream of moving from the city to a brand-new bedroom town in the country, only to be plagued by debt and fears of eviction, while the sound of incessant barking rings from the kennels nearby. In a city built on the site of ancient tombs, a homeowner’s renovation of a broken wall leads to an outcome no one expected. Older workers hired to play characters from a folk tale and wear smiles no one believes. An accountant asked to cook the books for his boss. A would-be writer disapppointed in her students and her choices.
These are some of the premises and characters in Hye-young Pyun’s To the Kennels, winner of one of Korea’s most prestigious literary awards. Infused with psychological acuity, understated suspense, a touch of the uncanny, and her Kafkaesque take on the contemporary world, To the Kennels offers a thrilling, unsettling ride through territory that is both familiar and strange. As Un-su Kim, author of The Plotters has observed, she “reveals to us the cellular division of emotions we’ve never seen before.”
Authors
Sora Kim-Russell's translations include, besides The Hole, City of Ash and Red,The Law of Lines, and The Owl Cries by Hye-young Pyun, Un-su Kim's The Plotters; Hwang Sok-yong's At Dusk, which was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize; and Suah Bae's Nowhere to be Found. Her full list of publications can be found at sorakimrussell.com. She lives in Seoul, Korea.
Heinz Insu Fenkl’s first novel, Memories of My Ghost Brother, was a Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer” selection and a PEN/Hemingway finalist. He has served on the editorial board of AZALEA: the Journal of Korean Literature & Culture and is a consulting editor for Words Without Borders. His translation of Kim Man-jung’s seventeenth-century Buddhist novel, The Nine Cloud Dream, was published by Penguin Classics and his most recent novel, Skull Water, is one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2023. He lives in the Hudson Valley, north of New York City.
Reviews
The Owl Cries
"Hye-Young Pyun’s stunning psychological thrillers delve deep into the horrors of being human and the oppressive mechanics of modern society, and The Owl Cries demonstrates a writer at the top of her game."—CrimeReads, "Best International Crime Novels of 2023"
"Intense . . . fast-paced and all-consuming . . . A novel of secrets, isolation, and pain, The Owl Cries is another tightly executed feat of writing."—Book Riot
"Adventurous mystery fans should check this out."—Publishers Weekly
The Hole
Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award
"A Korean take on Misery." —Time, "Top 10 Thrillers to Read This Summer"
"[A] taut psychological thriller. . . . The Hole is an unshakable novel about the unfathomable depths of human need." —Shelf Awareness
City of Ash and Red
An NPR Great Read, a Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2018, a CrimeReads Ten Best International Crime Fiction Selection
“City of Ash and Red will pull you into its nightmare."―NPR
"Kafkaesque . . . Those with a taste for creepy suspense will be rewarded."―Publishers Weekly
"Another gruesome masterpiece."―Crime Reads
The Law of Lines
A CrimeReads Best International Crime Novel of 2020
"[A] simmering thriller."—The New York Times Book Review
"[A] compelling existential thriller."—Wall Street Journal
"Pure, hard-scrabble noir . . . Harrowing and elegiac."—LitHub