A nameless protagonist with a talent for dispatching rats finds himself on an extermination assignment in C, a strange city that is nosediving into paranoia, infested with disease and flooded with trash. As soon as he reaches the city, he’s immediately detained and quarantined. With no means to contact the outside world, he remains isolated until he finally manages to reach an old friend. Bad news: His ex-wife is dead and now he’s the prime suspect. Somehow escaping arrest, he must find a way to survive in the streets of a city gripped in fear to clear his name.
As his life slips away from him, the man realizes he might not be who he thinks he is.
Why we’re excited about this book:
Hye-young Pyun is back with an apocalyptic take on the human condition, rife with Kafkaesque paranoia and brutal isolation. Author of the Shirley Jackson award winning novel, The Hole, she’s pulling out all the stops with her latest novel, channeling inspirations while forging new ground. Translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Rusell, City of Ash and Red by Hye-young Pyun will be published by Arcade Publishing 6 November 2018 and is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA