The Korean cult classic phenomenon that sold 400,000 copies - for lovers of Butter and Nobel Prize-winning The Vegetarian

THE KOREAN CULT CLASSIC PHENOMENON

YOU ARE W?H?A?T? WHO YOU EAT

OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION COPIES SOLD

'A feast for the literary senses' ANTON HUR, judge of the INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE

'Perfect for fans of BUTTER and THE VEGETARIAN' WATERSTONES

No law, no gun, no God could stop me now. Only him.

A woman finds her man murdered on the street - and time stands still.

Until she cradles his corpse to her chest and carries it home, where she disinfects every inch of skin before seating herself to begin. What follows reverberates from this realm into the next, where the man is witnessing his own funeral.

Together, the lovers lament a lifetime of working themselves to the bone in a country sucking everyone dry - but time's up. The woman is already eating and beating them at their own barbaric game as she entombs the body in her own, where her soulmate will live again.

The word-of-mouth sensation that's on everyone's lips, HUNGER is a psychologically and philosophically thrilling cult classic that cuts to the very heart of love, money, and the things they do to us.

HUNGER charted for over half a year, breaking records for literary fiction in South Korea.

--

'Read at your peril' FRANCES CHA, author of If I Had Your Face

'Raw beauty... It will consume you as you consume it' DEAN ATTA, author of The Black Flamingo

'As slender as it is profound' LING LING HUANG, author of Natural Beauty

'I could not put it down' JADE SONG, author of Chlorine

'A hefty work of creative genius' BARBARA ZITWER, author of The Korean Book of Happiness

Details

ISBN13: 9781840919011
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 144
Edition:
Publication Date: 24 Jun 2025
Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group
Publication City, Country: United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 21.8(H)x13.8(L)x2.2(W)152
Weight (gm): 152

Author Biography

CHOI JIN-YOUNG is one of South Korea's best-known authors. Her career started in 2006 when she won the Silcheon Literature Debut Author Award. She has since won many more, including the Shin Dong-yup Literary Prize, Manhae Literary Prize and, most recently, the Yi Sang Literary Award.

Hunger (originally titled Proof of Gu) charted for over half a year, breaking records for literary fiction in Korea.

Reviews

Hunger delivers an unlikely feast for the literary senses -- Anton Hur, judge of the International Booker Prize
Hunger satisfies every literary appetite and taste bud. A hefty work of creative genius -- Barbara Zitwer, author of The Korean Book of Happiness
Read at your own peril -- Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face
A book as slender as it is profound, Hunger is a haunting elegy where cannibalism is the highest form of devotion. I was enraptured -- Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty
Mesmerising. Inject it into my veins again -- Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch
Hunger glistens with raw and primal romance. I could not put it down -- Jade Song, author of Chlorine
Desperate tragedy meets raw beauty. Hunger will consume you as you consume it -- Dean Atta, author of The Black Flamingo
A gutting, unforgettable ode to doomed love. Which is to say, all love -- Henry Hoke, author of Open Throat
I savoured every word of this slim gem. A novel of remarkable depth -- Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, author of The Centre
What a propulsive, strangely tender book... Incredibly moving -- E.K. Sathue, author of youthjuice
A poignant meditation written with exceptional deftness and profound insight -- Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part