Deborah Smith

  • The cover to The White Book by Han Kang

    The White Book by Han Kang

    By Han Kang
    Han Kang
    New York. Hogarth. 2019. 160 pages. Han Kang’s The White Book is a meditation on grief using a study of white objects in the author’s life to spark memories of events she did—and did not—exp…
  • The cover to The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi

    The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi

    By Bandi
    Bandi
    New York. Grove Press. 288 pages.A 743-page manuscript by a writer with the pen name of Bandi (“Firefly” in Korean) was reputedly smuggled out of North Korea and into China in 2013. The English public…
  • The cover to North Station by Bae Suah

    North Station by Bae Suah

    By Bae Suah
    Bae Suah
    Rochester, New York. Open Letter. 2017. 320 pages.Korean author Bae Suah’s latest writing, although a collection of short stories, is equally as experimental, cutting-edge, and captivating as her nove…
  • The cover to A Greater Music by Bae Suah

    A Greater Music by Bae Suah

    By Bae Suah
    Bae Suah
    Rochester, New York. Open Letter. 2016. 128 pages.A Greater Music is another addition to a growing body of literature that explores the idea that human sexuality is more pliable and fluid tha…
  • The cover to Human Acts by Han Kang , A photo of reviewer Krys Lee

    Human Acts by Han Kang

    By Han Kang
    Han Kang
    London. Portobello Books. 2016. 224 pages.Human Acts is a very different novel from The Vegetarian, Han Kang’s first novel recently published in English to numerous accolades, includ…
  • The cover to The Vegetarian by Han Kang

    The Vegetarian by Han Kang

    By Han Kang
    Han Kang
    New York. Hogarth. 2016. 192 pages. Han Kang’s The Vegetarian is a taut novel that tells the story of two sisters—Yeong-hye and In-hye—and their marriages. Told in three parts, each a no…