Beasts of a Little Land set in Korea

Submitted: 4th November 2022

A young girl is sent by her starving family, to work as a courtesan in Pyongyang. This starts an epic story set against the Korean experience up and beyond WW2. However, more than that it is a story of family and hope…..

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Boarding Pass Information: Beasts of a Little Land

Destination : Korea

Author guide: Juhea Kim

Genre: historical fiction

Food and drink to accompany: Korean of course

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A novel to transport you to Korea

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A powerful read this one. A family so afraid of famine in their village send their young child, Jade, to work as a courtesan in Pyongyang. Imagine that! I was hooked from the outset as I got quickly drawn in to the drama and tragedy of that situation. Sadly, the fate of the young girl worsens as she along with two others are moved from there to Seoul to continue working.

It’s whilst they are in Seoul that Jade becomes friends with someone who will have a deep impact on her life. Jade and her two friends who came with her to Seoul, all form a bond and the story shows how their fortunes change over the years. This is a lovely tapestry of a story which weaves in and out of various times, events and situations. The background and culture of Korea is ever present and it’s a wonderful way to indulge yourself into a story set in a culture you perhaps know little about. There’s a lovely story when Jade falls in love with a boy who drives a rickshaw.

BookTrail Travel to Beasts of a Little Land

Years later and we move on to the time when Korea is occupied by the Japanese. Jade is now a woman and the fate of her ‘rickshaw boyfriend’ becomes a tale of rags to riches. In comparision however, not everyones’s stories turn out the way you think. The fate of Jade’s friends go up and down and twist and turn, yet each of these threads still manage to interweave with one another. This is like looking at a snow globe with four characters inside and see luck, fortune and fate rain down on them.

The personal stories of the characters set against such a stark and raw reality was what made the novel for me. This is one epic read, Japan really took a strong hold of Korea and life was extremeley bleak for some time. However, in 1945, the Japanese were defeated in WW2 and the world changed yet again as does the lives of the characters whose country is now divided by a North and a South.

This is more than a novel of historical fiction. This is a historical immersive experience which humbled me as well as fascinated me. It taught me a lot but it ensured I was enthralled from the start and throughout.

The cover is stunning. What a remarkable piece of work. All the stars.