Monday, April 25, 2022

The Old Woman With the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo

 
First Line: So this is what it's like on the subway on Friday nights.
 
Hornclaw lives modestly in a small apartment in Seoul, South Korea, with her rescue dog Deadweight. All those around her would expect the sixty-five-year-old to slow down and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw isn't a typical older woman. She's an assassin.

For forty years, she's killed with ruthless efficiency, knowing little about her targets. But an unexpected injury brings her to a connection with a doctor and his family-- her next targets. This could very well be the final chapter, not only of her career but of her life.

~

The story of a sixty-five-year-old female assassin captured my imagination, so I opened The Old Woman With the Knife with a great deal of anticipation. We learn almost the entirety of Hornclaw's life: her childhood, her work as a "disease control specialist," some of her targets that she's killed, and her growing awareness that her skills are diminishing almost as quickly as she begins feeling compassion for others.

The story weaves between two major plotlines: her growing connection with the doctor and his family and her realization that she has an enemy who wants to kill her. How she manages to deal with both is compelling, but no matter how well-written the story is-- and it is-- the tone is so dispassionate that I had a very difficult time connecting with Hornclaw and, by the book's end, was left feeling disappointed. Your mileage may certainly vary, and I hope that it does.

The Old Woman With the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo
Translated from Korean by Chi-Young Kim
eISBN: 9780369718853
Hanover Square Press © 2022
eBook, 191 pages
 
Thriller, Standalone
Rating: C
Source: Net Galley

14 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear that this one didn't draw you in, Cathy. It just goes to show you how important writing style and tone are. If they don't appeal, it's hard to 'feel' the book, if that makes sense. I do like the idea of this setting, though.

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    1. I have to admit smirking when I read reviews that said the setting of the book is never revealed. All I had to do was highlight a couple of words for my Kindle to tell me that they were places in Seoul, South Korea. Not that you were referring to the physical setting...

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  2. The plot does sound like it would be of interest to many readers. I'm probably not one of them though.

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    1. I don't particularly think this one is your cup of tea either, Dorothy.

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  3. It's an intriguing idea, but probably not a book that would work for me.

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    1. Dispassionate seldom works for me either, Lark.

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  4. The plot does sound interesting as does the setting. I wonder if something was lost in translation or perhaps, the dispassionateness was the author's way of showing how the MC had to dissociate herself with her work.

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    1. I think your second surmise is the correct one, Gretchen. Excellent observation!

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  5. I doubt it would work for me. Seems like a lot of work.

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  6. This book wouldn't work for me. But you read it so I don't have to and so I know it isn't up my alley for many reasons, as you explain.

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    1. For once, I didn't add to your reading lists. Will wonders never cease? ;-)

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  7. I'm still working on the ebooks list you wrote recently.

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    1. So it's a good thing I didn't add anything else this time around.

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