Roadkill
By (Author) Amil
Translated by Archana Madhavan
Vintage Publishing
Harvill Secker
26th August 2025
7th August 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Short stories
Speculative fiction
Narrative theme: environmental issues / the natural world
Narrative theme: identity / belonging
Gender studies: women and girls
Narrative theme: sense of place
Dystopian and utopian fiction
Science fiction
Fiction in translation
895.735
Paperback
256
Width 135mm, Height 216mm, Spine 20mm
300g
An effervescent speculative short story collection by South Korean author Amil for the next generation who crave a fresh perspective With strong roots in feminist science fiction and fantasy, Roadkill transports readers to different worlds, featuring dystopian wastelands, shamans, self-driving cars, tusked water deer and a divine sea serpent. These six stylistically distinct stories form a sweeping collection that explores contemporary subjects such as the climate crisis, Korean idol culture and techno capitalism through the lives of young women, their friendships and desire for self-expression. Translated from the Korean by Archana Madhavan.
Amil is a novelist, translator and essayist. She won the bronze medal at the Daesan Youth Literature Award for her short story 'You Should Want To Be a Cartoonist', the 2018 SF Award in the Short-Mid Novel category for the titular story 'Roadkill', and the 2020 SF Award Grand Prize for 'Rabbi'. She has also written a novel, The Forest Called You. Amil has translated Alberto Manguel's Fabulous Monsters and Joyce Carol Oates' Haunted, Jeanette Winterson's Frankissstein- A Love Story, R. O. Kwon's Incendiaries, Lucas Rijneveld's The Discomfort of Evening and James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. She writes novels using the name 'Amil', meaning 'The Dense Self'. When translating, she uses her name, Jihyun Kim.