Whale

\”A DISTINCTLY KOREAN TAKE ON GREAT EXPECTATIONS.\” Financial Times

A woman sells her daughter to a passing beekeeper for two jars of honey. A baby weighing fifteen pounds is born in the depths of winter but named \”Girl of Spring\”. A storm brings down the roof of a ramshackle restaurant to reveal a hidden fortune. These are just some of the events that set Myeong-Kwan’s beautifully crafted, wild world in motion.

Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of its linked characters: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle.

Brimming with surprises and wicked humour, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions, by one of international literature’s the most original voices.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2023

Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Imprint: Europa Edns (US)
Publication date: 01/10/2024