by Han Kang
First published 2025
Kyungha gets an urgent hospital message from her friend Inseon one cold Seoul morning. Inseon has hurt herself in an accident and pleads with Kyungha to travel to Jeju Island to rescue Ama, her cherished white bird. When Kyungha reaches the island, a fierce snowstorm traps her in brutal conditions. The freezing wind and heavy snow make each step toward Inseon's house a struggle against time and the elements. Darkness falls as Kyungha fights through the storm, uncertain whether she can reach Ama before it's too late or even survive the deadly cold herself. Lost in the white wilderness, she has no idea what shocking discovery waits for her at her friend's home. The boundaries between what is real and what is dreamed begin to dissolve as buried voices from the past emerge. This story weaves together the threads of lasting friendship and the power of memory, exploring how love endures even when faced with terrible suffering.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, friendship, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Jeju Island, Seoul
Period: Cold Morning
256 pages · Hardcover · Hogarth
Content warnings: death