Lemon: A Novel by Kwon Yeo-sun

(Thank you to Other Press for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

NAMED A MOST-ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR BY MS. MAGAZINE AND CRIMEREADS

Parasite meets The Good Son in this piercing psychological portrait of three women haunted by a brutal, unsolved crime.

In the summer of 2002, when Korea is abuzz over hosting the FIFA World Cup, eighteen-year-old Kim Hae-on is killed in what becomes known as the High School Beauty Murder. Two suspects quickly emerge: rich kid Shin Jeongjun, whose car Hae-on was last seen in, and delivery boy Han Manu, who witnessed her there just a few hours before her death. But when Jeongjun’s alibi checks out, and no evidence can be pinned on Manu, the case goes cold.

Seventeen years pass without any resolution for those close to Hae-on, and the grief and uncertainty take a cruel toll on her younger sister, Da-on, in particular. Unable to move on with her life, Da-on tries in her own twisted way to recover some of what she’s lost, ultimately setting out to find the truth of what happened.

Shifting between the perspectives of Da-on and two of Hae-on’s classmates struck in different ways by her otherworldly beauty, Lemon ostensibly takes the shape of a crime novel. But identifying the perpetrator is not the main objective here: Kwon Yeo-sun uses this well-worn form to craft a searing, timely exploration of privilege, jealousy, trauma, and how we live with the wrongs we have endured and inflicted in turn.

my thoughts:

Love, love, love. I absolutely LOVED this book to bits! Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun is an excellent story that will haunt you long after you turn the very last page. The writing is superb, the characters are relatable and unlikeable, the story itself is intriguing with its mystery and eerie atmosphere. This is a book that will pull you in and slowly take you through seventeen years of grief, loss, and unanswered questions.  It's a story that you most definitely don't want to miss out on - check it out!

Kim Hae-on is murdered when she's eighteen. Two people are questioned - Shin Jeongjun and Han Manu. However, everything appears to check out with each suspect and they are soon dismissed. The case goes cold.  Fast forward seventeen years later and Da-on, Kim Hae-on's younger sister, cannot seem to move forward and away from her sister's death.  So, she decides to find out what really happened.  And, that is all I will write about the story, you definitely need to read it for yourself to find out what Da-on discovers, or if she able to puzzle it all out. All I will say is that this book will provide you with plenty of food for thought. It is riveting, slow-going, and the perfect way to spend an early morning, or a late night. Such a great book!

I would happily recommend Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun to fans of her work and to anyone looking for their next great read - you will fall in deep with this one!

Thank you to Other Press for providing me with a copy of this book!