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Beasts of a Little Land

A Novel

by Juhea Kim

Length 13 hours 29 minutes

Language English

Narrators Sue Jean Kim & Raymond Lee

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Bookseller recommendation

“Juhea Kim's debut novel is at once massive in breadth and intimate in scale. Upending Dickens and Tolstoy by setting some of their themes in Japanese occupied Korea, Kim delves into the depths of her characters - social outcasts all - and builds an ensemble of unique voices that speak to today's world nearly a century on from her setting. Parallels are exposed between the imperialism and revolution of early-twentieth-century Korea and early-twenty-first-century America, Britain, Brazil, Venezuela, Myanmar - take your pick - proving that we have not yet learned from history and are still dooming ourselves to repeat the horror of our past. The setting not only allows for a political backdrop that reverberates to modern readers, but also allows Kim to center her characters in a society shift as well; one where mysticism is giving way to harsh reality; where prior social mores are becoming popular entertainment; and where social outcasts can become leaders of industry. This is a thrilling read, and brought to mind the best of Merchant-Ivory films while also exploring the racist and colonizing effects of the aristocracy.”
— Jesse • Odyssey Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“A saga spanning over fifty years, Beasts of a Little Land will whisk you away to the streets of Seoul, the forests of Manchuria, and a wealthy courtesan school in Pyongyang. Following two friends of drastically different backgrounds throughout the Korean independence movement, this epic story will have you rooting for love and redemption. A must-read for fans of Pachinko.”
— Julie • All Good Books

Summary
About the author

""A spectacular debut filled with great characters and heart.” —Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE · FINALIST FOR THE BALCONES FICTION PRIZE · LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD

An epic story of love, war, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement, following the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and the penniless son of a hunter

In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected—and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.

In the aftermath, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school, an act of desperation that will cement her place in the lowest social status. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer with a new romantic prospect of noble birth. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.

From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation’s. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.

A Recommended Read from: USA Today · The Washington Post · Entertainment Weekly · The Today Show · Real Simple · Good Morning America · Harper's Bazaar · Buzzfeed · Fortune · Vulture · Goodreads · Lit Hub · Book Riot · PopSugar · E! Online · Ms. Magazine · Chicago Review of Books · Bustle · The Oregonian · The Millions

Fiction

Juhea Kim is the author of the novel Beasts of a Little Land, which was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, Russia’s largest annual award in literature. It has been translated around the world and is being adapted for television. She is also the author of City of Night Birds, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick. A graduate of Princeton University, her writing has been published in Granta, the Times Literary Supplement, the Independent, Zyzzyva, Guernica