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A Novel
by Jiyoung Han
A lyrical and suspenseful debut novel about a mysteriously gifted Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire, Honey in the Wound is an epic tale of survival and the reclamation of power.
A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother's voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others' dreams. These women are all of one lineage—a Korean family split across decades and borders by Japanese imperialism.
At this saga's heart is Young-Ja, a girl who infuses food with her emotions. She revels in her gift for cooking, nourishing the people she loves with her cheerfulness. But her sunny childhood comes to an end in 1931 when Japanese soldiers crush her family's defiance against the Empire. Young-Ja is cast adrift, her food turning increasingly bitter with grief. When a Korean rebel fighter notices her talents, however, she is whisked off to Manchuria to join a secretive sisterhood of beautiful teahouse spies. There, Young-Ja finds a new sense of belonging and starts using her abilities for the resistance. But the Imperial Army is not yet finished with her…
Decades later, Young-Ja lives alone in Seoul, withdrawn from the world until her Tokyo-born granddaughter Rinako bursts into her life with the ability to see into dreams. In cultivating a tentative bond, they confront the long-buried past in a stunning emotional climax.
As an unforgettable family perseveres in the long shadow of colonialism, Honey in the Wound transports readers to mountain forests where tiger-girls stalk, to Manchurian teahouses and opium dens where charming smiles veil secrets, and to the modern metropolises of Tokyo and Seoul where restless ghosts stir. This debut novel is a tender yet powerful multi-generational drama that shines light onto the twentieth century's darkest corners and gives voice to those who bore witness.
"Poignant ... Han blends folklore and magical realism with Korean history in her remarkable debut, a family saga spanning the 20th century... . Han brilliantly immerses readers in her birth country's history and offers a testament to women's strength in the face of brutality. It's a knockout." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Honey can be a salve or a sweetener but, as Han illustrates so vividly, not all wounds can be healed by the oft-employed Korean folk remedy... . Han has incorporated extensive research into a revelatory work of harrowing fiction... . [Han] validates the hidden powers of 'powerless' women." —Kirkus Reviews
"How does memory travel through time, bridging generations through its different forms? Riveting and poignant, Han's debut explores how memory transforms into secrets, dreams, and testimonies that bond people across distance and time... . Powerfully bridges the individual with the collective." —Booklist
"In Han's courageous debut, magic is a form of resistance which, like hope, bolsters the human spirit. Within seemingly ordinary people, there are extraordinary powers. This isn't just a story, it's a record of the brutality of invasion, occupation, and war. Honey in the Wound is a book to remember, and Han is an author to watch." —Eve J. Chung, USA Today bestselling author of The Daughters of Shandong
"With heartbreaking passion, Honey in the Wound refuses to turn away from the dark underbelly of history, putting words to those who are forgotten and who survive despite. Jiyoung Han's prose is lush and fiercely inventive, wresting immense beauty and hope from great despair. This is a startling and unforgettable debut." —Janika Oza, author of A History of Burning
This information about Honey in the Wound was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jiyoung Han was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in the American Midwest. She has lived and worked in four continents but now calls San Francisco home. When not writing, she conducts research in climate change and human decision-making. Honey in the Wound is her debut novel.
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