by June Hur
First published 2024
Hwani and her sister Maewol were found unconscious in a forest years ago near a terrible crime. The incident shattered their family and left gaps in Hwani's memory. Now thirteen more girls have disappeared from that same forest on Jeju Island. Detective Min, Hwani's father, travels there to investigate but vanishes himself. Hwani returns to her childhood home to find him and uncover what happened to the missing girls. She must navigate the secrets of a small village and reconcile with Maewol, who no longer speaks to her. As Hwani follows the clues, she realizes the answers may lie buried in her own forgotten memories of that day in the forest. The investigation forces her to confront both the mystery that destroyed her family and the sister she lost along the way.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: lost-memories, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Jeju Island, Forest
Period: Contemporary
400 pages · Paperback · Square Fish