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BooksMidnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories
Cover of Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora Chung

Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories,

by Bora Chung, Anton Hur

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Rating4.6/ 5
Ratings6
Pages134
Reading Hours3h
Published2023
LanguageEnglish

§Synopsis

01

From the author and translator of the National Book Award finalist and Booker Prize shortlisted Cursed Bunny, comes a novel-in-ghost-stories, set in a mysterious research center that houses cursed objects, where those who open the wrong door might find it's disappeared behind them, or that the echoing footsteps they're running from are their own...

The acclaimed Korean horror and sci-fi writer's goosebump-inducing new book follows an employee on the night shift at the Institute. They soon learn why some employees don't last long at the center. The handkerchief in Room 302 once belonged to the late mother of two sons, whose rivalry imbues the handkerchief with undue power and unravels the lives of those who seek to possess it. Meanwhile a live-streaming, ghost-chasing employee steals a cursed sneaker down the hall, but later finds he can't escape its tread. The cat in Room 206 begins to reveal the crimes of its former family, wanting to understand its own path to the Institute's dimly lit halls.

But Chung's haunted institute isn't just a chilling place to play. As in her astounding collections Cursed Bunny and Your Utopia, these violent allegories subtly excavate the horrors of animal cosmetic testing, "conversion therapy," domestic abuse, and late-stage capitalism. Equal parts bone-chilling, wryly funny, and deeply political, Midnight Timetable is a masterful work of literary horror from one of our time's greatest imaginations.

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§About the Author

Bora Chung
Bora Chung

4 books in catalog

Speculative fiction and horror short stories that fuse folklore, dark satire, and surreal social critique have gained widespread international acclaim through the translated collection Cursed Bunny. South Korean author Bora Chung crafts unsettling narratives that examine systemic oppression, technological anxiety, and human vulnerability.

Career & Background

Bora Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976 to parents who were dentists. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yonsei University, followed by a Master of Arts in Russian and East European area studies from Yale University and a PhD in Slavic literature from Indiana University Bloomington. In addition to writing novels and short story collections, Chung has taught Russian language, Russian literature, and science fiction studies at Yonsei University. She also translates modern literary works from Russian and Polish into Korean, frequently collaborating with translator Anton Hur to bring her own work to English-language readers.

Writing Style & Themes

Chung's writing frequently blurs the boundaries between magical realism, science fiction, psychological horror, and dark humor. Her stories leverage grotesque imagery, surreal conceits, and absurd situations to interrogate the real-world cruelties of capitalism, patriarchy, and societal inequality. By transposing historical events or domestic anxieties into futuristic and supernatural settings, her work illuminates the physical and emotional toll inflicted on marginalized individuals.

Major Works

  • Cursed Bunny — A genre-blending short story collection that combines magical realism, horror, and science fiction to critique patriarchal structures and social injustice. Shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and selected as a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.
  • Your Utopia — A collection of eight speculative and darkly satirical short stories translated by Anton Hur that explore technological estrangement, human connection, and dystopian realities.
  • Red Sword — A science fiction novel that reimagines the 17th-century history of Korean soldiers conscripted by the Qing dynasty to fight against Russia, transposing historical conflict into a far-future setting.
  • Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories — A speculative work combining elements of horror, satire, and ghost stories to explore themes of memory, resistance, and the supernatural.

§Editions

Cover of Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories

Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories

eng
Algonquin Books20239781643756639

Metadata

ISBN-139781643756639
ISBN-10164375663X

Editions and availability

Find Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories Bora Chung in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.

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