The Two-Sided Seashell
Korean Title: 양면의 조개껍데기
Author: Kim Cho-Yup
Publisher: Rabbit Hole
ISBN: 9791168343108
384 pages | 134 * 200 mm | 499 g
| Important! Please read before you order! |
| >>>This book is written in Korean. |
About This Book
Hailed as a groundbreaking voice in Korean science fiction of the 2010s, Kim Cho-yup returns in the summer of 2025—now in her eighth year since debut—with her latest short story collection, The Two-Sided Seashell. As one reader remarked, her work offers “a completely different story every time, yet with a familiar, enchanting touch.” Kim continues her literary experimentation while grounding each piece in rigorous research and profound contemplation on humanity and relationships, delivering a reading experience that never disappoints.
This collection features seven medium- to long-length stories that pose multifaceted questions about the nature of humanity. "Subdani’s Summer Vacation" explores issues of desire and will, beginning with the provocative question: “If the ingredients of human life changed, wouldn’t the interactions between humans and the world change too?” The title story, "The Two-Sided Seashell", follows the conflict that arises when two personalities inhabiting a single body fall in love with the same person—offering a poignant reflection on identities that exist outside the norms of society and how they can be embraced as they are.
Dubbed a “series of explorations,” the stories "Stillness and Clamor," "Sweet, Tepid Sadness," and "Following the Rain Clouds" delve into classic SF concepts such as higher-dimensional beings, humanity uploaded into servers, and parallel worlds. Yet Kim uses these tropes to examine the limits of subjective interpretation, forms of selfhood that defy explanation, and the idea of existence as something fixed through entanglement—adding layers of depth and intrigue.
In "The Vibration Bird and the Handwritten Letter," Kim imagines a civilization that communicates through tactile sensations. In "Saltwater Frequency," a tear-jerking conclusion awaits as a young man’s return home, urged by his grandmother’s words—“You must come back at least once. Only then can you move forward again”—intertwines with the journey of a lost whale that wandered into the city.
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