Our Happy Time
Gong Ji-Young, Sora Kim-Russell (translation)
Yu-Jung, beautiful, wealthy, & bright, is lying in her hospital bed, recovering from her third suicide attempt, when she receives a life-changing visit. Her no-nonsense aunt, a nun, appears by her side & suggests Yu-Jung accompany her on a charitable visit to death row. At her lowest ebb, Yu-Jung is resistant.
But something compels her to go to the prison. There she meets Yun-Soo, a convicted murderer who will soon be put to death. Though she is repulsed by his crimes, something about the depth of his suffering strikes a chord in her. Shaken by their encounter, she returns to visit him the next week. And the next…
Through their weekly, hour-long meetings, Yu-Jung & Yun-Soo slowly reveal to each other the dark secrets of their pasts & the hidden traumas that have shaped their lives. In doing so they form a deep, unbreakable bond, helping one another overcome their demons. But Yun-Soo’s hands are always in cuffs, the prison officers are always in the background, & they can never lose sight of the fact that their happy time together is tragically brief.
Gracefully poetic & ideal for fans of Kyung-Sook Shin’s Please Look After Mother, Our Happy Time is a passionate and heartbreaking love story as well as an important, hard-hitting, & compassionate fable.
Gong Ji-young is one of Korea’s most beloved & critically acclaimed novelists. Her awards include the 2011 Yisand Literary Award, the 21st Century Literary Award, Korean Novel Prize, Special Media Award & Amnesty International for Our Happy Time.
Sora Kim-Russell is a literary translator based in Seoul. Her recent publications include Kim Un-su’s The Plotters, Hwang Sok-yong’s At Dusk, & Pyun Hye-y