Honey in the Wound: The bestselling magical and epic tale of survival

Honey in the Wound: The bestselling magical and epic tale of survival

$34.99 AUD $29.74 AUD

Availability: in stock at our Tullamarine warehouse

A lyrical and suspenseful debut novel about a mysteriously gifted Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire. A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother's voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others' dreams. Spanning ninety years as one family is displaced across Asia, this novel follows Young-Ja, who finds herself struggling to survive after her family is killed by Japanese soldiers. The magical gift that once brought her joy - the ability to infuse her cooking with her feelings: love, peace, delight - transforms into something more powerful as her sorrow and anger seeps into her confections. When her talent is noticed by a Korean resistance fighter, she's taken to Manchuria where she becomes enmeshed in a network of spies at a teahouse favoured by Japanese officials. Haunted at every turn by the spectre of Japanese soldiers, she endures horrors and brutality at the hands of the Imperial Army. With spellbinding inter-generational sweep and atmospheric magical realism, Honey in the Wound explores the ways colonialism forces one family to transform, and ultimately survive.

Author: Jiyoung Han
Format: Paperback, 400 pages, 153mm x 234mm, 490 g
Published: 2026, Bonnier Books Ltd, United Kingdom
Genre: General & Literary Fiction

Description
A lyrical and suspenseful debut novel about a mysteriously gifted Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire. A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother's voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others' dreams. Spanning ninety years as one family is displaced across Asia, this novel follows Young-Ja, who finds herself struggling to survive after her family is killed by Japanese soldiers. The magical gift that once brought her joy - the ability to infuse her cooking with her feelings: love, peace, delight - transforms into something more powerful as her sorrow and anger seeps into her confections. When her talent is noticed by a Korean resistance fighter, she's taken to Manchuria where she becomes enmeshed in a network of spies at a teahouse favoured by Japanese officials. Haunted at every turn by the spectre of Japanese soldiers, she endures horrors and brutality at the hands of the Imperial Army. With spellbinding inter-generational sweep and atmospheric magical realism, Honey in the Wound explores the ways colonialism forces one family to transform, and ultimately survive.