Whale: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023

Cheon Myeong-kwan, Chi-Young Kim

A sweeping, multi-generational tale blending fable, farce and fantasy.

Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of three linked characters: Geumbok, an extremely ambitious woman who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle. A fiction that brims with surprises and wicked humour, from one of the most original voices in South Korea. 

This book has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023. Find out more here.

You can find reading guides to the books on the International Booker Prize 2023 shortlist on the International Booker Prize website.

International Booker Prize 2023