The Guest

(Paperback)

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Description

During the Korean War, Hwanghae Province in North Korea was the setting of a gruesome 52 day massacre. In an act of collective amnesia the atrocities were attributed to American the military, but they resulted from strife between Christian and Communist neighbours. 40 years later, Ryu Yosop, a minister living in America, returns to his home village where his brother once played a notorious role in the bloodshed. Besieged by vivid memories and visited by the troubled spirits of the deceased, Yosop must face the survivors and lay his brother's soul to rest.

Reviews

"Vivid snapshots from the Korean War and surreal encounters with ghosts intersect in the first major US release by award-winning Korean novelist Sok-yong...an ambitious exploration of a post-war survivor's chaotic psyche." - Publisher's Weekly "A provocative novel [that] takes the reader to the edge of a gruesome scene, then steps back and focuses on the sort of mundane detail that sticks in one's mind more firmly than any blood-splattered image." - Time Asia Magazine"

Author Bio

Hwang Sok-yong is unanimously recognised as one of Korea's most notable authors and praised by, among others, Kenzaburo Oe as "undoubtedly the most powerful 'voice of the novel' in East Asia today."