Tower

Great book

Tower by 배명훈 was one of my most anticipated reads this year. Bae Myung-hoon is a famous SFF writer from South Korea and an author I've been curious about but knew that I was very far from being able to read his work in Korean (maybe one day!). So, I was thrilled that I got to read his book of short stories that was recently translated into English. Consisting of six interconnected stories, Tower is about the lives of the citizens of a 674-story building that acts as its own sovereign nation.This political satire set in a SFF setting was wonderfully complex and detailed. The nuances of the Korean psyche were present even through translation, which I very much appreciated. Themes such as collectivism mindset and the pursuit of purpose and redemption are all universal, but when set against the backdrop of Korean culture, the ingenuity of the author is clear. For example, including a dog in his first story to showcase the inner workings of politics is funny enough, but when you know that the word "dog" in Korean is used for offensive language, it takes this story from being funny to brilliant. Another similar example of this cleverness can be seen in the fourth story when a gentle elephant is used to break up protests — a bizarre but amusing take especially if you are aware of South Korea's long history and culture of protests.It's apparent that the author's creativity is matched only by his understanding of satire and talent for wit. Instead of building depth in the characters, Bae focuses on the consciousness of the message he is both subtlety and urgently delivering. A smart tactic because evoking empathy in a reader through character development within the confines of a short story is difficult to do. And what better way to elicit emotion from the reader than to speak to our humanity? Bae delivers an alternate world of Korea that is grand and diverse, but also incredibly intimate and entangled. And through each story, you can't help but see a bit of yourself — selfish and giving, defeated and passionate, lost and hopeful. A prime example of work that is layered, this is one I'll definitely be reading again and again because I imagine I'll discover something new with each read.Imaginative, funny, and dark, I highly recommend to those who enjoy political satire and speculative fiction and are looking to expand their word just a bit.Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.