Review of Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

A genre-defying debut that bends sci-fi into a literary immigrant story that speaks to our modern ideas of identity in a unique and thought-provoking way. In the world of Sublimation, when a person emigrates, they leave behind a version of themselves and this phenomenon is known as ‘instancing’. From there, each version of each person goes on to lead different lives. Some versions choose to stay in touch with the other instances of themselves, but Soyoung Rose Kang chooses to leave hers behind in Seoul and start a new life in New York. That is until her old instance summons her back to Korea for their Grandfather’s funeral.

Isabel J. Kim manages to execute a complicated speculative concept with the ease of a seasoned novellist. Dopplegangers have been done before, but never like this. I loved the way Kim used them to explore the idea of a fractured self and dual-identity.

Published on 09.07.2026 by Picador

Reviewed by Abi

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