The Cabinet (2021) by Un Su Kim

Book Review

The Cabinet (2021)

by Un Su Kim

   I really enjoyed The Plotters, which was the first book by Korean novelist Un Su Kim to be translated into English.  The Plotters was a crisp, stylish work of crime-fiction, a book obviously inspired by the conventions of the noir genre but rendered eerie by the Korean locations and the writing style of Un Su Kim.   The Cabinet is not a work of crime fiction, though the third act contains some bloody surprises which are sure to delight those familiar with his previously translated book.  Mr. Kong, the narrator and protagonist, is a listless office worker who finds a sideline minding the client files of Cabinet 13, a bunch of genetic mutations who require constant attention from Kong's mentor.   When his mentor dies, Kong becomes the subject of attention for different shadowy forces who seek to profit from the secrets of Cabinet 13. 

   Part social satire, part...something else, The Cabinet is just as rewarding as The Plotters, and it won the Korean Pultizer- the Munhakdongne award as well.  If you start The Plotters, make sure you stick around for the third act, you will not be dissapointed.