Honey in the Wound

About the book

'Unspeakable history given the power of myth and fable' ANTON HUR

'Spellbinding. Jiyoung Han deftly weaves magical realism into a devastating account of the Japanese Imperial Army's brutality in the early 20th century' KARISSA CHEN

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.

Spanning ninety years as one family is displaced across Asia, this novel follows Young-Ja, who finds herself struggling to survive after her family is killed by Japanese soldiers. The magical gift that once brought her joy - the ability to infuse her cooking with her feelings: love, peace, delight - transforms into something more powerful as her sorrow and anger seeps into her confections.

When her talent is noticed by a Korean resistance fighter, she's taken to Manchuria where she becomes enmeshed in a network of spies at a teahouse favoured by Japanese officials. Haunted at every turn by the spectre of Japanese soldiers, she endures horrors and brutality at the hands of the Imperial Army.

With spellbinding inter-generational sweep and atmospheric magical realism, Honey in the Wound explores the ways colonialism forces one family to transform, and ultimately survive.

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WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:
'This novel swept me off my feet'
'I will NEVER forget it'
'One of the most powerful reads I've ever stumbled upon'
'It will bring out every emotion you have'
'A breathtaking debut, rich, emotional, and steeped in myth and history'
'What Jiyoung Han has done here is nothing short of a multi-generational feminist epic'