Holy Boy

In the uneven latest from Lee (Phantom Pain), four women’s infatuation with a Korean singer leads to disaster. The women, led by Ahanna, ambush 21-year-old Yosep, her former student turned pop star, during his nightly drive in Seoul. They hold him captive in her father’s mansion, where Yosep, who is given painkillers by the women, suffers from amnesia. The conspirators include Nami, who fell in love with Yosep after seeing him perform on TV; Heeae, who believes him to be her long-lost son, Yohan, and longs to have him back in her life; and Mihee, who desperately wanted to meet her idol. Complications arise when Ahanna’s nephew, Seongwuk, shows up at the house late one night. Heejoo paints a dark portrait of obsession, but the plot is convoluted, and Lee’s translation feels stilted, as in this depiction of Nami spoon-feeding Yosep: “Watching food going into Yosep’s baby-chick-like mouth satisfies her more than watching a goose’s liver fattening pleases a farmer.” Too often, Hejoo’s novel tests the reader’s patience. (Feb.)