First published 2014
Oh Hyun Woo steps out of prison after serving nearly two decades of a life sentence for political activism. The Korea he enters bears little resemblance to the one he left behind. High-rise apartments tower where familiar neighborhoods once stood. Mobile phones connect strangers while he remains isolated. The cacophony of modern life overwhelms him as he attempts to navigate this transformed world. Freedom brings unexpected burdens. Oh Hyun Woo must confront the wreckage of his former existence. Family members have vanished from his life through death or estrangement. Old friendships have withered during his imprisonment. Fellow activists have either perished or abandoned their causes. Most painful of all, the woman he loved has built a life without him. Two decades have passed since they were together, yet her absence cuts as deeply as ever. Oh Hyun Woo faces an impossible choice between honoring his past and embracing an uncertain future in a country that has moved on without him.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, contemporary, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: Korea
Period: 20th-century
546 pages · Paperback · Picador USA