Korean Canadian author's Joseon-era mystery novel gains traction in US

Korean Canadian writer June Hur with her new book, "The Red Palace" / Courtesy of June Hur

By Park Han-sol

The English-language novel, "The Red Palace," which deftly brings the genre of historical whodunit books to the 18th-century Joseon-era court, has been a breath of fresh air hitting the bookshelves across North America this year.

Penned by Korean Canadian writer June Hur, the gripping narrative is set in 1758, during the reign of King Yeongjo, whose years-long, troubled relationship with his son, Crown Prince Sado, climaxed into the prince's tragic demise, after he was ordered to be locked up inside a wooden rice chest.

But rather than delving straight into this tense historical drama through the eyes of royal figures like the king, the crown prince or his wife Lady Hyegyeonggung Hong ― whose detailed memoir, "Hanjungrok," recounts court life in all its grandeur, political intrigue and bloody revenge ― the book curiously unfolds from the perspective of an "uinyeo," a female nurse or physician specialized in treating women, whose presence remained rather anonymous and inconsequential in the palace.

"I find myself always drawn to stories of marginalized women ― women whose stories we do not come across as frequently in history. And nurses in general were indeed a marginalized group of women during the Joseon [Kingdom] era," the author wrote in a recent newsletter announcing the book's release.

The life of the 18-year-old Hyeon faces stigmas in many forms. She is a young woman born to unmarried parents, whose profession went unappreciated in Joseon's highly patriarchal society. One night, when four women are found murdered at the public medical office, she launches a private, clandestine investigation of her own to protect her mentor from being wrongfully arrested.

Hur's decision to bring this truth-seeking murder mystery to the fore, while threading the story of Crown Prince Sado throughout in the background, makes the story more captivating.

The book made the Forbes' list of "The Most Anticipated Books of 2022, According to Book Podcasters" last December, as well as the American Booksellers Association's Indie Bestseller List in the young adult section after its release on Jan. 25.

"As a Korean American, it is rare for me to read English-language novels set in dynastic Korea. So often, historical mysteries and court dramas are reserved for European settings," Books & Boba podcast's co-host, Reera Yoo, is quoted as saying.

"[Hur's] atmospheric prose brings Joseon-era Korea to life in all its richness and complexities while elegantly spinning a web of sinister intrigue and suspense."

The writer, whose Korean name is Hur Ju-eun, was born in Korea and raised in Canada. She majored in History and Literature at the University of Toronto.

She has previously authored two mystery novels, also set in the 1392-1910 Joseon era. "The Silence of Bones" tells the story of orphaned 16-year-old Seol, a servant to the Hanyang (present-day Seoul) police, as she learns of the dark secrets behind the politically fraught murder of a noblewoman.

"The Forest of Stolen Girls," revolves around two sisters revisiting the unsolved case behind the disappearance of 13 girls over the span of four years in one village on Jeju Island, while weaving in the history of Korean women offered as tribute to China's Ming Dynasty rulers during the early Joseon era.

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