May Selection: Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

Throughout the month of May, our country celebrates the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on our culture and history. Here at Aesop’s, that translates into books!  This month, we invite you to read Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim and travel to twentieth-century Korea during Japanese occupation, World War II, and the rise of Communism.

“From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation’s. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.”

This is a beautiful story of family and obligation, friendship and love, privilege and patriotism and how all of these things are turned upside down throughout a tumultuous era of war and upheaval. The 20th century was a whirlwind of change in Korea and Beasts of a Little Land is a sweeping epic that takes us from 1917 to 1965 through the eyes of several characters.  I loved how the diversity of voices –  a young courtesan, a Japanese Officer, a wealthy Korean landowner, an orphaned homeless boy – gave a unique perspective on the changing landscape of their country and I especially loved how the author intertwined all the different stories to show how a single event at the beginning of the book connected them all. Historical fiction is at its best when you learn something new about a place, time, culture, etc. while being caught up in a story that transports you.  This is Les Miserables meets Memoir of a Geisha.  Give it a try!

Juhea Kim was born in Incheon, Korea, and moved to Portland, Oregon, at age nine. Beasts of a Little Land is her debut novel and bestseller. She is donating a portion of the proceeds to the Phoenix Fund, a Vladivostok-based conservation nonprofit working to protect the Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard.

We hope you will read with us this month!  Beasts of a Little Land will be 10% off at Aesop’s Fable during the month of May.  To order: https://aesopsfable.com/products/beasts-of-a-little-land-a-novel?_pos=1&_sid=79b5fd636&_ss=r