Harriett Gilbert talks with Juhea Kim about her debut novel Beasts of a Little Land.

Set during the turbulent years of Japanese-occupied Korea in the early 20th century, this sweeping historical epic traces the lives of two unforgettable characters: Jade, a young girl sold to a courtesan school, and JungHo, the orphaned son of a hunter who becomes swept up in the Communist resistance. Over five decades, their paths cross and recross as they navigate war, occupation, and revolution. Rich with lyrical prose, folklore, and unflinching insight into the brutality of empire, Beasts of a Little Land explores identity, loyalty, and the high price of survival.

Juhea Kim will be talking about why the Tiger is such an important symbol in Korean history, how her writing is structured like a symphony, and how as a writer she strives to show the humanity of all her characters when they are on very different sides of war and colonialism.

On this episode of ‘World Book Club’ Harriett Gilbert speaker with with Graeme Macrae Burnet about his riveting historical crime novel ‘His Bloody Project’ Set in a remote Scottish community in the 1800s, the story centres on a brutal triple murder and the person who admits guilt for the bloody deed - a 17 year old boy. This boy, Roderick Macrae, is shy, intelligent, and remarkably articulate. Could he really be responsible for such a grisly crime? Or was he out of his mind? Told via a fascinating collection of memoir, police documents and trial transcripts, this novel explores the impact of an oppressive society on those who do not fit their assigned place, the boundaries of criminality and insanity, and has you questioning what the truth of the crime may be every time you turn a page. Graham Macrae Burnet will be answering your questions, about the 19th century views of ‘the criminal class’, who, or what, was responsible for the murder at the heart of the novel, and why we continue, in the modern day, to be fascinated by murder...

In this episode of World Book Club, Harriet talks with one of the world’s best-loved sci-fi and fantasy authors, the four time Hugo award winner N.K Jemisin. Which of her plethora of books did we choose? Her 10th novel, and love letter to New York, ‘The City We Became’.

The story takes place in a world in which major cities become sentient, living beings. After New York is attacked by an otherworldly enemy, five people, champions representing each of the city’s five boroughs, must band together to save the city, but also humanity itself.

Rich with sharp social commentary, vibrant characters, and breathtaking world-building, it’s a gripping, imaginative tale of identity, belonging, and the power of unity in the face of otherworldly, eldritch chaos.

N.K Jemisin will be answering questions from our World Book Club - including how she created characters that embody each of New York’s five boroughs, what makes a city ‘alive’, and how she confronted, and subverted, Lovecraftian tropes to create the enemy of all humanity, the Woman in White.

Presented by Harriett Gilbert. Produced by Elizabeth Ann Duffy.

Photo Credit - Laura Hanifin