Cursed Bunny, Bora Chung
Cursed Bunny, Bora Chung
List: $24.98 | Sale: $17.49
Club: $12.49

Cursed Bunny
Stories

Author: Bora Chung, Anton Hur

Narrator: Greta Jung

Unabridged: 7 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/06/2022


Synopsis

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE AND WINNER OF A PEN/HEIM TRANSLATION GRANT

"Cool, brilliantly demented K-horror—just the way I like it!" —Ed Park, author of Personal Days

A stunning, wildly original debut from a rising star of Korean literature—surreal, chilling fables that take on the patriarchy, capitalism, and the reign of big tech with absurdist humor and a (sometimes literal) bite. 
 
From an author never before published in the United States, Cursed Bunny is unique and imaginative, blending horror, sci-fi, fairytales, and speculative fiction into stories that defy categorization. By turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, here monsters take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But in this unforgettable collection, translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s absurd, haunting universe could be our own, illuminating the ills of contemporary society.
 
“The Head” follows a woman haunted by her own bodily waste. “The Embodiment” takes us into a dystopian gynecology office where a pregnant woman is told that she must find a father for her baby 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 but for its sinister capabilities.
 
No two stories are alike, and readers will be torn whether to race through them or savor Chung’s wit and frenetic energy on every page. 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. 
 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Federico on March 02, 2023

Mother. An assorted collection of short stories by Bora Chung. The cover was enough reason for me to jump into it. Some really nice finds, some not. My toilet is no longer the safe place I once knew, and I’m never touching a bunny lamp no matter what. A great start with some really outstanding sto......more

Goodreads review by emma on June 28, 2022

short lil tiny lil reviews for each story! STORY 1: THE HEAD i am a weak person, but...i am physically incapable of having any opinions on this story beyond how disgusting it is. i was trying to eat a Delicious Treat while reading it between conference calls, and i was delivered a cosmic punishment i d......more

Goodreads review by David on March 10, 2022

The first thing that stands out about Cursed Bunny is Bora Chung’s fluency in the language of the grotesque. There are plenty of jarring images, beginning on the first page, that challenge and horrify. But the grotesque is always in service of the themes Chung explores - womanhood, capitalism, patri......more

Goodreads review by Lark on May 07, 2022

Magnificently grotesque. I needed to look away from the page now and then but I felt like cheering all the way through because Bora Chung has written something so brutal and perfect. I was reminded of Poe's Berenice for the body horror, but the author writes meticulously and matter-of-factly, instea......more

Goodreads review by aly on February 19, 2023

Well, if it is not another grim yet illuminating Asian literature. I was told how quirky this book would be, but my brain is still processing it the whole time (like wtf am I reading). In the ten short tales in this book, Chung masterfully combines elements of horror, fantasy, and magical realism to......more


Quotes

“If you were the kind of child who was enthralled by Scary Stories to Read in the Dark, Bora Chung writes for you. Like the work of Carmen Maria Machado and Aoko Matsuda, Chung’s stories are so wonderfully, blisteringly strange and powerful that it's almost impossible to put Cursed Bunny down. In short, this collection may, in fact, be a cursed object in the best possible way.” —Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get In Trouble

"Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny mines those places where what we fear is true and what is true meet and separate and re-meet. The resulting stories are indelible. Haunting, funny, gross, terrifying—and yet when we reach the end, we just want more."—Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

“Whether borrowing from fable, folktale, speculative fiction, science fiction, or horror, Chung’s stories corkscrew toward devastating conclusions—bleak, yes, but also wise and honest about the nightmares of contemporary life. Don't read this book while eating—but don’t skip these unflinching, intelligent stories, either.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[Chung's] glorious anglophone debut, enabled by award-winning Anton Hur, is poised to shock and delight. Bizarrely enigmatic, Chung’s collection proves irresistible."—Terry Hong, Booklist (starred review)

“Nothing concentrates the mind like Chung’s terrors, which will shrivel you to a bouillon cube of your most primal instincts.”—Rhoda Feng, Vulture

“Bora Chung Soars with a provocative collection of stories. ...remarkable... The 10 stories are beyond imagination: breathtaking, wild, crazy, the most original fiction I have ever encountered. …each more astounding than the last.”—Louisa Ermelino, Publishers Weekly

“Like a family in a home, fantastic stories gather together in this book. The stories not only take their revenge, but also love you, and comfort you. You'll end up completely endeared to this fascinating collection!”—Kyung-sook Shin, New York Times Bestselling author of Please Look After Mom and Violets

"Cool, brilliantly demented K-horror—just the way I like it!" —Ed Park, author of Personal Days

“A collection of exquisitely crafted, spooky and unnerving tales that haunted me long after reading. Each story is a macabre gem, shot through with visceral horror, wry humor, and subtly profound insights on human nature. These stories convey how the traumas and transgressions of the past, individual and collective, and erupt into the present, distorting and eroding our perception of reality. Bora Chung is an amazingly inventive and daring writer. I will revisit these stories whenever I need a reminder of how fresh and vital prose can be.”—Kate Folk, author of Out There

"What made this book truly transcendental was the sense of absolute dread that many of its stories summoned. Chung’s work fits neatly beside that of Brian Evenson and Kelly Link—cerebral fiction that might give you nightmares."—Tobias Carroll, Words Without Borders