Yi’s lyrical debut explores the difficulty of finding oneself in a high-tech world where anyone can craft new identities and live vicariously through social media and fan fiction. The story follows an unnamed 29-year-old narrator, a Korean woman living in Berlin, who leads an unremarkable life until she discovers the K-pop band Pack of Boys. The narrator becomes obsessed with Moon, one of the band members. She tries to learn everything about him and obsessively attends his social media livestreams to acquire any form of insight. When she discovers a fan-fiction site and starts to write stories herself, Yi’s novel takes on a surreal, almost hallucinatory atmosphere that blurs the line between what is real and what is imagined. Performed by Korean American narrator Greta Jung, this audio becomes more immersive as listeners delve ever deeper into the unnamed narrator’s dreams, imaginings, and longings. Yi’s novel amplifies the irony inherent in technology—instead of connecting people and creating supportive communities, it does exactly the opposite.
VERDICT For readers of surrealist fiction and fans of Han Kang, Mariana Enríquez, and Samanta Schweblin.
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