Jiyoung Han – författare

The bestselling debut novel for fans of PACHINKO and HOMEGOING'A rich, sweeping novel' EMMA NANAMI STRENNER'Spellbinding' KARISSA CHEN'A fierce and mythic family saga' SILVIA PARKHoney in the Wound follows a mysteriously gifted lineage of Korean women as they are displaced across Asia by Japanese imperialism. At this novel's heart is Young-Ja, whose family is killed by Japanese soldiers. Her magical gift - the ability to infuse her cooking with her feelings: love, peace, delight - shifts into something far more powerful as her sorrow and anger seep into her confections.When her talent is noticed by a Korean resistance fighter, she is taken to Manchuria and becomes enmeshed in a network of spies at a teahouse favoured by Japanese officials. Haunted at every turn by the spectre of Japanese soldiers, Young-Ja must learn to persevere, even against the brutality of the Imperial Army.Spanning the 20th century, with spellbinding intergenerational sweep and atmospheric magical realism, Honey in the Wound explores the ways colonialism forces one family to transform and ultimately survive.***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE ***WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:'This novel swept me off my feet''I will NEVER forget it''One of the most powerful reads I've ever stumbled upon''It will bring out every emotion you have''A breathtaking debut, rich, emotional, and steeped in myth and history''What Jiyoung Han has done here is nothing short of a multi-generational feminist epic'

A lyrical and suspenseful debut novel about a mysteriously gifted Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire, Honey in the Wound is an epic tale of survival and the reclamation of power.A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother's voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others' dreams. These women are all of one lineagea Korean family split across decades and borders by Japanese imperialism. At this saga's heart is Young-Ja, a girl who infuses food with her emotions. She revels in her gift for cooking, nourishing the people she loves with her cheerfulness. But her sunny childhood comes to an end in 1931 when Japanese soldiers crush her family's defiance against the Empire. Young-Ja is cast adrift, her food turning increasingly bitter with grief. When a Korean rebel fighter notices her talents, however, she is whisked off to Manchuria to join a secretive sisterhood of beautiful teahouse spies. There, Young-Ja finds a new sense of belonging and starts using her abilities for the resistance. But the Imperial Army is not yet finished with her Decades later, Young-Ja lives alone in Seoul, withdrawn from the world until her Tokyo-born granddaughter Rinako bursts into her life with the ability to see into dreams. In cultivating a tentative bond, they confront the long-buried past in a stunning emotional climax. As an unforgettable family perseveres in the long shadow of colonialism, Honey in the Wound transports readers to mountain forests where tiger-girls stalk, to Manchurian teahouses and opium dens where charming smiles veil secrets, and to the modern metropolises of Tokyo and Seoul where restless ghosts stir. This debut novel is a tender yet powerful multi-generational drama that shines light onto the twentieth century's darkest corners and gives voice to those who bore witness.

The bestselling debut novel for fans of PACHINKO and HOMEGOING'A rich, sweeping novel' EMMA NANAMI STRENNER'Spellbinding' KARISSA CHEN'A fierce and mythic family saga' SILVIA PARKHoney in the Wound follows a mysteriously gifted lineage of Korean women as they are displaced across Asia by Japanese imperialism. At this novel's heart is Young-Ja, whose family is killed by Japanese soldiers. Her magical gift - the ability to infuse her cooking with her feelings: love, peace, delight - shifts into something far more powerful as her sorrow and anger seep into her confections.When her talent is noticed by a Korean resistance fighter, she is taken to Manchuria and becomes enmeshed in a network of spies at a teahouse favoured by Japanese officials. Haunted at every turn by the spectre of Japanese soldiers, Young-Ja must learn to persevere, even against the brutality of the Imperial Army.Spanning the 20th century, with spellbinding intergenerational sweep and atmospheric magical realism, Honey in the Wound explores the ways colonialism forces one family to transform and ultimately survive.***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE ***WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:'This novel swept me off my feet'I will NEVER forget it'One of the most powerful reads I've ever stumbled upon'It will bring out every emotion you have'A breathtaking debut, rich, emotional, and steeped in myth and history'What Jiyoung Han has done here is nothing short of a multi-generational feminist epic'