01 Sep / The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur [in Booklist]
Korean Canadian June Hur’s enthralling debut, The Silence of Bones, vividly captured 19th-century fatal court intrigue during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. Her follow-up is another tautly plotted thriller, set in 15th-century Joseon, and helmed by relative audiobook newbie Sue Jean Kim, who adroitly controls a sprawling cast diverse in age, backgrounds, personalities, and gender.
Min Hwani hasn’t seen her younger sister, Maewol, in five years. Maewol remains bitter about being abandoned to train with Shaman Nokyung when Hwani left Jeju Island with their father. In the last four years, 13 Jeju girls have disappeared. The renowned detective investigating the crimes was Hwani and Maewol’s father – but he’s missing, too.
Disguised as a man for safety and armed with her father’s partially incinerated notebook, Hwani returns to Jeju determined to find answers. She desperately needs resentful Maewol’s help; despite their animosity, their sororal bond will save their lives.
Kim’s enhancing narration is deftly paced, the characters skillfully individualized; she especially excels in empathically embodying mothers and sisters – the still-waiting survivors – which is notably affecting in a story celebrating girl power more than half a millennium ago.
Review: “Media,” Booklist, August 2021
Readers: Adult
Published: 2021