Description

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An acclaimed story collection from the author of the Shirley Jackson Award–winning novel The Hole

Six elephants bolt from an amusement park and vanish; where they’re found brings back memories of a forgotten dictator. A car ride on a foggy highway at night becomes a drive through hell for a young couple getting away for the weekend together. A family lives the dream of moving from the city to a brand-new bedroom town in the country, only to be plagued by debt and fears of eviction, while the sound of incessant barking rings from the kennels nearby. In a city built on the site of ancient tombs, a homeowner’s renovation of a broken wall leads to an outcome no one expected. Older workers hired to play characters from a folk tale and wear smiles no one believes. An accountant asked to cook the books for his boss. A would-be writer disapppointed in her students and her choices.
 
These are some of the premises and characters in Hye-young Pyun’s To the Kennels, winner of one of Korea’s most prestigious literary awards. Infused with psychological acuity, understated suspense, a touch of the uncanny, and her Kafkaesque take on the contemporary world, To the Kennels offers a thrilling, unsettling ride through territory that is both familiar and strange. As Un-su Kim, author of The Plotters has observed, she “reveals to us the cellular division of emotions we’ve never seen before.”
 

About the Author

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Hye-young Pyun was born in 1972. She made her literary debut in Korean in 2000 when she won Seoul Shinmun's annual New Writer's Contest with her short story "Shaking Off Dew." She has gone on to publish four short story collections and five novels. She has received several of Korea's most prestigious literary awards, including the Dong-in Literary Award in 2011, the Yi-sang Literary Award in 2014, and the Hyundae Munhak Award in 2015. She has published short stories in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, and Words Without Borders. City of Ash and Red was named Book of the Year when it was published in Poland, and it has been licensed to France, Turkey, China, and Vietnam as well. Her novel The Hole is a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. She lives in Seoul, Korea.

Sora Kim-Russell is a literary translator based in Seoul. Her translations include Hwang Sok-yong’s Princess Bari, Suah Bae’s Nowhere to be Found, and Kyung-sook Shin’s I’ll Be Right There. She teaches at Ewha Womans University and the Literary Translation Institute of Korea. Her full list of publications can be found at sorakimrussell.com.

Praise For…

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PRAISE FOR HYE-YOUNG PYUN AND HER WORK:
The Owl Cries
"Hye-Young Pyun’s stunning psychological thrillers delve deep into the horrors of being human and the oppressive mechanics of modern society, and The Owl Cries demonstrates a writer at the top of her game."—CrimeReads, "Best International Crime Novels of 2023"
"Intense . . .  fast-paced and all-consuming . . . A novel of secrets, isolation, and pain, The Owl Cries is another tightly executed feat of writing."—Book Riot
"Adventurous mystery fans should check this out."—Publishers Weekly
 
The Hole
Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award
"A Korean take on Misery." —Time, "Top 10 Thrillers to Read This Summer"
"[A] taut psychological thriller. . . . The Hole is an unshakable novel about the unfathomable depths of human need." —Shelf Awareness

City of Ash and Red
An NPR  Great Read, a Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2018, a CrimeReads Ten Best International Crime Fiction Selection
“City of Ash and Red will pull you into its nightmare."―NPR
"Kafkaesque . . . Those with a taste for creepy suspense will be rewarded."―Publishers Weekly
"Another gruesome masterpiece."―Crime Reads

The Law of Lines
A CrimeReads Best International Crime Novel of 2020
"[A] simmering thriller."—The New York Times Book Review
"[A] compelling ­existential thriller."—Wall Street Journal
"Pure, hard-scrabble noir . . . Harrowing and elegiac."—LitHub