Reviews for Pyun's The Law of Lines
Korean author Hye-young Pyun’s “The Law of Lines” (Arcade, 251 pages, $24.99), translated by Sora Kim-Russell, follows two young women who have recently experienced family tragedy. Ki-jeong Shin, a high-school teacher, learned of her half-sister’s involvement in a ruinous pyramid scheme only after the latter’s death by drowning. Se-oh Yun, a frightened recluse who rarely ventures outside the building where she lives with her father, returns from an errand one day to find that her parent, long harassed by a debt collector, has torched the house in a gas explosion. (He later dies from his injuries.)
Ki-jeong responds to her own ordeal by tracing and contacting others who took part in the pyramid scheme that ensnared her sibling: “[She] felt guilty that she’d taken an interest in her sister only after her final moments. . . . And now here she was, imitating a detective just so she could quell her guilty conscience.” Se-oh, for her part, focuses on stalking the debt collector who hounded and humiliated her father, and whom she intends to kill. “Her rage was indescribable. . . . She had nothing left in this world to love.”
Though Ki-jeong and Se-oh feel their share of fury, guilt and malice, a brighter future seems possible. Even Se-oh, bent on murder, can glimpse the outlines of a better existence: “a life of small happinesses, little joys that came from knowing that not all relationships were based on people setting traps for each other.” Is it too late for these two to achieve such a reality? Such are the questions that populate this compelling existential thriller.
"[A] compelling existential thriller."—Wall Street Journal
"[A] simmering thriller."—The New York Times Book Review
Pyun Hye-young is my absolute favourite Korean author and her newest book is another sensation."—Will Heath, Books &Bao
"An enigmatic narration that edges up to morality and criminality . . . You will find yourself consumed by how these characters grapple with their losses and the weight and gloom of their everyday lives."—Cracking the Spine
"Another first-class novel from the South Korean writer . . . A very well-told tale, with twists and unexpected turns."—The Modern Novel Blog
A compelling thriller that uses a familiar story frame to interrogate the way grief shapes our lives."―Cyn's Workshop