Cursed Bunny: Stories - Bora Chung

From a rising star of Korean literature, Cursed Bunny is a collection that will shock and surprise readers with each new tale. Translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s stories are wildly unique and imaginative, by turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, where monstrous creatures take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But Chung’s rare, haunting universe could be our own, illuminating the ills of contemporary society.

“The Head” follows a woman haunted by her own waste. “The Embodiment” takes us into a dystopian gynecology office where a pregnant woman is told that her baby must have a father or face horrific consequences. Another story follows a young monster, forced into underground fight rings without knowing the force of his own power. The titular fable centers on a cursed lamp in the approachable shape of a rabbit, fit for a child’s bedroom.

Cursed Bunny is a book that screams to be read late into the night and passed on to the nearest set of hands the very next day.

By Bora Chung. Translated by Anton Hur. Paperback. 256 pages. Published by Algonquin Books, 2022.