Review of Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han

2026 seems to be the year of sweeping epic novels about life under Japanese imperialism and this one is not to be missed. After reading and reviewing A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing last month, it was really interesting to go back to 1930s Asia again, this time from a Korean perspective. Honey in The Wound shares those elements of magical realism and the generational impact of war and Han writes it all with this beautifully intoxicating prose that had me hooked from the first page. But whilst beautiful, it is also unflinchingly brutal.

We follow three generations of mysteriously gifted women. A sister disappears and returns as a tiger, a granddaughter can read people through dreams. But inbetween, we have Young-Ja who can infuse her cooking with her feelings to enact major consequences. It is Young-Ja who we follow for the bulk of our story as we see her torn from family to work as a spy in a Chinese tea house before she experiences unimaginable horrors when she is kept prisoner in a comfort station. It was here where I was moved to tears and anger - the mark of a great novel. But Young-Ja survives it all to tell the tale to her Granddaughter decades later in a way that feels representative of so many women’s stories.

Han has crafted a powerful tale that is equal parts devastating and hopeful. I loved these characters and I felt so immersed in their lives as we spanned a whole 90 years. This is a masterful epic that I know will stick with me for a long time to come.

Published on 16.04.2026 by Bonnier Books

Reviewed by Abi

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