Overview

"A vivid and enchanting novel by one of South Korea's foremost writers, in a haunting reminder to be careful what we throw away. Seoul. On the outskirts of South Korea's glittering metropolis is a place few people know about: a vast landfill site called Flower Island. Home to those driven from the city by poverty, is it here that 14-year-old Bugeye and his mother arrive, following his father's internment in a government ""re-education camp"". Living in a shack and supporting himself by weeding recyclables out of the refuse, at first Bugeye's life on Flower Island is hard. But then one night he notices mysterious lights around the landfill. And when the ancient spirits that still inhabit the island's landscape reveal themselves to him, Bugeye's luck begins to change--but can it last? Vibrant and enchanting, Familiar Things depicts a society on the edge of dizzying economic and social change, and is a haunting reminder to us all to be careful of what we throw away."

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9781947534049

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Reviews

'Undoubtedly the most powerful voice in Asia today'--Kenzaburo Oe 'Hwang Sok-yong is one of South Korea's foremost writers, a powerful voice for society's marginalised, and Sora Kim-Russell's translations never falter.'--Deborah Smith translator of The Vegetarian

'[Hwang Sok-Yong] exhibits superb skill in introducing elements of the preternatural without detracting from the main focus of the story ... Hwang on the whole moves us to question the fragility of memory and challenges us to hold on to our past and identify our roots despite the ever-changing nature of life. The novel is an endearingly powerful read as we make the journey with Bugeye towards his adulthood. Life is composed of memories both good and bad, and, in spite of the growing waste and destruction surrounding these children, there is a reason for hope and promise that their future will be better, greener lives.' --Diya Mitra Wasafiri 'Hwang Sok-Yong's novel presents a blunt portrayal of the marginalised lives of those who live on Flower Island, a once fertile place that has become the landfill for a nearby city ... But the transition to life on Flower Island does not only offer horror. Familiar Things makes clear the degree to which life as a garbage scavenger offers Bugeye and his mother a modicum of independence and dignity in comparison to the other options available to them ... Although Hwang Sok-Yong describes a world that is terrible to imagine, he does not fetishise it. Monstrous events occur, but the descriptions do not revel in the graphic details such that they become offensively gratuitous. Familiar Things' language is simple. It does not linger in metaphor or unusual turns of phrase. Sora Kim-Russell's translation feels unstilted and easy. The novel's uncomplicated style suits its purpose, presenting determined existence rather than romanticised horror. The plain prose also conveys the great sadness of the novel without becoming saccharine ... Familiar Things challenges readers to see everyday objects in an alternate light, while also understanding that this life of scavenging is a familiar one for many people.' --Emma Schneider Full Stop 'It touched me in quite a powerful way ... It's quite sad but beautiful.' --Ellie Bamber Stylist [A] cautionary tale, both a mirror and a portent for our own world. --Fionn Mallon Los Angeles Review of Books Familiar Things is a fine little novel, showing a crushing, grim reality in which the resilient human spirit and imagination makes do. --M.A.Orthofer The Complete Review Familiar Things walks a perfect path between realism and the supernatural. --Annie Smith A Bookish Type A great political book, a plea for a country under the boot of a general, a country embroiled in a fierce power struggle, where ideology has been devoured by productivity, where human beings are nothing more than bellies to be filled for the benefit of industrial producers...Grandma Willow in her dementia rails, You're despicable! Do you think you live alone here? You men may all disappear, nature will continue to exist! Let's hope so! --Critiques Libres As one of the country's most prominent novelists, Hwang has never shied away from controversy...With Familiar Things, Hwang turns his attention to the underside of South Korea's remarkable economic development, namely, the vast underclass it has created. --Boston Review A powerful examination of capitalism from one of South Korea's most acclaimed authors...[Hwang] challenges us to look back and reevaluate the cost of modernization, and see what and whom we have left behind. --The Guardian Hwang Sok-yong is one of South Korea's foremost writers, a powerful voice for society's marginalized, and Sora Kim-Russell's translations never falter. --Deborah Smith translator of The Vegetarian Familiar Things is a poignant novel that depicts decay and regeneration...A sense of menace pervades the novel. But the relationship that develops between Bugeye and Baldspot, who he comes to adopt as his younger brother, is heartwarming. --The Big Issue Five stars...Readers expecting this novel to develop into a savage take on Seoul slum life will be disappointed...[Hwang Sok-Yong] wants to tell a different story altogether. Familiar Things turns out to be less about simple disposal than movement between different worlds...resonant. --The Daily Telegraph Hwang Sok-yong is an endearing author. For his perspective on people and things, for the instinctive modesty of his characters as well as his ability to capture --to return through fiction--the contemporary history of his country. Even more, to embody it. --La Croix While it invokes South Korean history, culture, mythology and folklore, this slim novel is unmistakably universal in its reach, contemporary in its appeal, and packs an emotional punch that reverberates long after reading. --South China Morning Post Hwang's writing is rich with symbolism, cautionary lessons, and the potential for redemption. --World Literature Today Sora Kim-Russell's translation moves gracefully between gritty, whiffy realism and folk-tale spookiness. --The Economist Galvanized by Nobel Prize-winner Kenzaburo Oe's resounding endorsement--'undoubtedly the most powerful voice in Asia today'--and master translator Sora Kim Russell's exquisite rendition, Hwang's latest anglophonic import is surely poised for western success.' --Terry Hong Booklist Undoubtedly the most powerful voice in Asia today. --Kenzaburo Oe, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature A vivid depiction of a city too quick to throw away both possessions and people. --Financial Times In Familiar Things, the great Korean writer embraces the social realities of his country. It is the opposite of the economic miracle that he paints for us here. Beyond simple naturalism, Hwang Sok-yong mixes into the actual, the magic of a popular culture steeped in the spiritual. --LivresHebdo Reality, fiction and fantasy mix closely, giving his writing unparalleled power. Hwang Sok-yong's empathy for his heroes is always accompanied by a fierce rage against the powerful. --Le Monde Diplomatique Hwang Sok-yong is one of the most read Korean writers in his country, and best known abroad. An activist for democracy and reconciliation with the North, in his books he melds his political fights with the Korean cultural imagination. --Le Monde Familiar Things is both tragic and heartrending. --The Skinny

Author Information

Hwang Sok-yong was born in 1943 and is arguably Korea's most renowned author. In 1993, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for an unauthorised trip to the North to promote exchange between artists in the two Koreas. Five years later, he was released on a special pardon by the new president. The recipient of Korea's highest literary prizes, he has been shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger and was awarded the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature for his book At Dusk. His novels and short stories are published in North and South Korea, Japan, China, France, Germany, and the United States. Previous novels include The Ancient Garden, The Story of Mister Han, The Guest, and The Shadow of Arms. Sora Kim-Russell has translated numerous works of Korean fiction, including Hwang Sok-yong's Princess Bari (Garnet Publishing, 2015), Familiar Things (Scribe, 2017), and At Dusk (Scribe, 2018), which was longlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.

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