Honey in the Wound

Han blends folklore and magical realism with Korean history in her remarkable debut, a family saga spanning the 20th century. It begins with Myoung-Ok, married to “mountain giant” Dahn, giving birth to twins Geum-Ja and Geum-Jin in 1902. At 13, Geum-Ja disappears into the forest, returning occasionally in the form of a tiger to unsuccessfully urge her brother to join her in the safety of the mountains, away from the occupying Japanese army. After Dahn is shot in the arm by a soldier, he begins having violent outbursts. Desperate to save their son from Dahn’s rage, Myoung-Ok kills him. In 1920, Geum-Jin marries Jung-Soon, the daughter of a rich merchant, who possesses a magical power to extract the truth from others, which she uses on Japanese soldiers to help the resistance. Eventually, they’re discovered, and everyone in the family is killed except for Geum-Jin and Jung-Soon’s daughter, Young-Ja, despite Geum-Ja’s best effort to defend them as a tiger. As a young woman in 1941, Young-Ja is forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese. Later sections follow Young-Ja’s son and granddaughter, the latter of whom encourages Young-Ja to share her story before the novel reaches its poignant conclusion. Han brilliantly immerses readers in her birth country’s history and offers a testament to women’s strength in the face of brutality. It’s a knockout. Agent: Heather Carr, Friedrich Agency. (Apr.)