Whale
by Cheon Myeong-kwan
Translated by Chi-Young Kim
A surreal, fable‑like novel about ambition, obsession, and womanhood from the author shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
🌟 Award Recognition
Whale was shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, a major honor that spotlights exceptional fiction in translation
There are affiliate links on this page, which means I may receive payment at no charge to you for purchases made through any links on this page.
What It’s About
Whale opens with the arrest of Geumbok, a woman with an extraordinary life and a tendency to dream far beyond the world around her. From her rural beginnings to running a brick-making empire, she reinvents herself again and again — charming, manipulating, and building her way into legend.
Her daughter Chunhui, born with a gift for seeing and surviving what others can’t, grows up in near silence. Mute but hyper-aware, she is shaped by isolation, industrialization, and the strange adults around her — becoming something both deeply human and otherworldly.
The story moves between magical realism, gritty fable, and absurdist humor as it explores Korea’s transformation in the 20th century through the lens of women often forgotten.
Why It Matters
This is not a quiet novel. It’s big, bold, and utterly bizarre. Cheon Myeong-kwan blends folklore, myth, and satire into something uniquely Korean — and yet globally resonant.
At its core, Whale is about reinvention. About how people — especially women — twist themselves into new forms to survive: sometimes monstrous, sometimes mythic, always unforgettable. Identities shift, names change, and lives are rebuilt from ruins, often more than once.
The novel also gestures toward queerness and gender nonconformity — not through labels, but through characters who remake themselves entirely, even across the boundaries of gender and societal expectation.
It won’t be for everyone. But for those who love stories that are strange, sharp, and full of surprise — Whale will swim circles in your mind long after the final page.
🎧 Want to hear directly from the author?
Cheon Myeong‑kwan shares how Whale came to life and what shaped its surreal tone.
👉 Watch the Author Interview on YouTube
Where to Read It:
Buy on Amazon • Bookshop.org
Join the conversation in the My Asian Era book club on Fable
Not on Fable yet?
📘 Download the app here
Related Reads from My Asian Era:
• Cursed Bunny – surreal horror with bite
• Walking Practice – grotesque, queer, unforgettable
• Burnings – poetic fragments of identity and loss
Looking for your next read?
My Asian Era is where literature meets culture — thoughtful reviews, quiet voices, and stories worth slowing down for.
