by Juhea Kim
First published 2022
In the snowy mountains of occupied Korea in 1917, a starving hunter rescues a Japanese officer from a tiger attack. This single moment binds their fates for the next fifty years. Far to the north, Jade arrives at Miss Silver's courtesan school in Pyongyang after her family sells her. She befriends JungHo, an orphan boy who will soon join the independence movement while she rises as a celebrated performer with wealthy suitors. Their paths diverge as revolution sweeps Korea. JungHo fights in the forests of Manchuria. Jade navigates the perfumed world of courtesans and the modern cafes of Seoul. The hunter and officer remain connected across decades of war and change. Kim follows these characters as they make choices that will determine not only their own futures but their nation's destiny. Friends become foes, enemies become rescuers, and the line between human and beast shifts with each betrayal and act of mercy.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Korea, Pyongyang, Manchuria, Seoul
Period: 1917, 20th-century
416 pages · Hardcover · Oneworld Publications
Content warnings: war