Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
I have a mouth, but I mustn't speak;
Ears, but I mustn't hear;
Eyes, but I mustn't see.
1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.
As they delve deeper into the dead woman's secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.
June Hur's elegant and haunting debut The Silence of Bones is a bloody tale perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Renée Ahdieh.
Can you briefly describe THE SILENCE OF BONES and its characters?
1800, Joseon (Korea). Indentured to the police bureau, sixteen-year-old Seol has been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.
As they delve deeper into the dead woman's secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
Seol was the most genuine character I ever created, and I loved how she'd taken control of her story and had steered it in a totally different direction that the one I'd planned for her. But I enjoyed writing Inspector Han the most! I love writing about dark and tormented characters, so I got to project all my angst into him!
How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?
For most of my life, I’ve known very little about Korean history, even though my parents are “very” Korean and even though I lived in Korea when I was a teen. Then in 2015, out of sheer curiosity, I read further into Korean history – and fell madly in love with it. I was fascinated by everything and was gripped by a terrifying desperation to write a Korean historical mystery. I hesitated for a while, wondering if I, a Korean-Canadian ‘diasporan’, even had the right to write about Korea, and afraid that no one would be interested in a mystery set in a non-western country. It was the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement that finally gave me the courage to write.
At the very heart of this book is a more personal story inspired by my family, a family dispersed. I spent nearly half my life living with my siblings in Canada, far away from my parents, far away from my relatives. And so, while I was writing this book, I found myself wrestling with two questions that always haunted me: What will it cost to keep family together when things are falling apart? And where is home when you live far away from those who have loved you for all of your life?
If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
Oh! I love this question. I actually only listen to soundtracks that have no lyrics, and the song I listened to on repeat while writing this book was Sweetwater by Ramin Djawadi from the TV show, Westworld.
If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?
My dream is to see my book turned into a Korean drama, so this is a fun question to answer! I would cast Kim Go-eun as the heroine, Seol, and Jang Hyuk as the broody Inspector Han.
What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
For drink, I’d recommend a light white tea to balance out the heavy topics dealt within my book. And as for place, I’d suggest finding a secluded spot in the wilderness, where you can be surrounded by layers of misty mountains.
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE SILENCE OF BONES?
Elizabeth Lim’s SPIN THE DAWN, Kerri Maniscalco’s STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, and William Ritter’s JACKABY
What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?
I’d say researching was the most difficult! Researching was intense and laborious. I have a background in history, and I spent all my years as a writer writing British historicals, so researching isn't new to me. But researching about Korea? English resources about pre-colonized Korea weren't that easy to find, and when I did find them, they were gems! But for the most part, when it came to niche details -- like information about the life of damos (female police officers) -- I ended up having to rely a lot on Korean articles. And that required laborious hours of translation. But to make things trickier, Korean scholarly articles about Korean history often use Hanja (Classical Chinese characters). So on top of trying to understand the Korean, I also had to spend more hours trying to understand a Chinese word.
What’s next for you?
My second book, a standalone YA historical mystery, is coming out in 2021. THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS is about two estranged sisters who are forced to work together to find their missing detective father, who happens to be the greatest detective in Joseon Korea.
JUNE HUR (‘Hur’ as in ‘her’) was born in South Korea and raised in Canada, except for the time when she moved back to Korea and attended high school there. Most of her work is inspired by her journey through life as an individual, a dreamer, and a Christian, with all its confusions, doubts, absurdities and magnificence. She studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto, and currently works for the public library. She lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.
Her debut novel THE SILENCE OF BONES (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, April 2020) is a murder mystery set in Joseon Dynasty Korea (early 1800s), and also a coming-of-age tale about a girl searching for home. It was recently selected by the American Booksellers Association as one of the top debuts of Winter/Spring 2020.
This is definitely on my TBR as the premise sounds unique and exciting.
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