Seven Korean novels you must read

Having witnessed an overwhelming wave of Korean culture sweep over gen-z in the recent past, it’s now time to get acquainted with the best that it has to offer - Korean Novels. Following K-dramas and K-pop, Korean literature has arrived and is here to stay. Encompassing a plethora of unprecedented themes, the novels are characterized by ingenious storytelling and would appeal to any and every age group.

Here are some Korean novels that you should read.

The story is set in the Korean capital of Seoul, where the eighteen-year-old Gout Miyoung feeds on evil men to survive. One night while on her hunt, she saves Jihoon’s life and ends up losing the bead that contains her fox-soul. Nine-tailed foxes, shamans, goblins, the occult, and what not, Kat Cho creates a parallel universe in her novel where the friendship between human and non-human beings gradually blossoms into love and makes for an interesting read, to say the least.

Pic credit: G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR

A serial killer suffering from Alzheimer’s has his eyes set on his final, most important target- his daughter’s boyfriend. His amnesia, however, has forced him to maintain a journal in which he notes down details of everything that he witnesses or does. How then, will he accomplish his goal, being stuck between a real memory and a parallel one? The novel grips and entertains, but more importantly, thrills the reader to the core.

Pic credit: Atlantic Books

Set in the period between 1910 to the present, this is a story of survival, familial ties, identity, blood, resistance, and imperialism. A Korean family immigrates to Japan and has experiences that are unprecedented and uncontrollable. Poignant and engrossing, the book is a study of empathy and equity.

Pic credit: Apollo

Yona is a trip coordinator at a travel company that organizes trips to regions that have been hit by disasters. Sexually predated on by her boss, she finds herself on the horns of a dilemma as she has to choose between a fresh start or the company whose cause she has always believed in. A novel take on the climate crisis and feminism, the book defies genre and cuts across multiple themes that require attention.

Pic credit: Pic credit: Serpent's Tail

Revolving around the inter-connected lives of four young women living in Seoul, the novel is a commentary on contemporary society and the inequality, misogyny, and lack of humanity that thrives within its deepest recesses. Resulting in a difficult life for all, women find themselves doubly oppressed because of their gender and have to go through excessive struggle to achieve the smallest of things.

Pic credit: Viking

Reseng, a blithe assassin who seldom asks questions, ends up messing up his job only to find out that the assassinations that he has been carrying out are planned by three women, one of whom is his handicapped sister. A full-fledged adrenaline ride, 'The Plotters' is a treat for thrill enthusiasts!

Pic credit: Fourth Estate

Based in Seoul, the novel is the story of Yeong-hye, a young woman who decides to embrace a plant-based lifestyle after she starts having thoughts that are spattered with blood and carcasses. What will the consequences of such a decision in a society like hers be?

Pic credit: Random House

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