Beasts of a Little Land is a stunning achievement’ TLS

Spectacular Lisa See, author of The Island of Sea Women

Unforgettable Nguy?n Phan Qu? Mai, author of The Mountains Sing

As the Korean independence movement gathers pace, two children meet on the streets of Seoul. Fate will bind them through decades of love and war. They just don’t know it yet.

It is 1917, and Korea is under Japanese occupation. With the threat of famine looming, ten-year-old Jade is sold by her desperate family to Miss Silvers courtesan school in the bustling city of Pyongyang. As the Japanese army tears through the country, she is forced to flee to the southern city of Seoul. Soon, her path crosses with that of an orphan named JungHo, a chance encounter that will lead to a life-changing friendship.

But when JungHo is pulled into the revolutionary fight for independence, Jade must decide between following her own ambitions and risking everything for the one she loves.

Sweeping through five decades of Korean history, Juhea Kims sparkling debut is an intricately woven tale of love stretched to breaking point, and two people who refuse to let go.