For fans of the film Exhuma and in the vein of Mariana Enriquez’s Our Share of Night and Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part, a gripping story of how an American dream turned into a nightmare.
Set in a fictional town in 1980s America, this new chilling story unfolds through two contrasting Korean immigrant families, weaving an intergenerational curse, seamlessly building the tension of horror, mystery, and thriller while evoking a history of hate crimes against minorities.
Told through dual timelines, the novel traces the bond between Han, whose family amassed wealth through pro-Japanese activities during the Japanese colonial period, and Jun, a poor boy destined to be a shaman. Han ultimately uses Jun as a scapegoat to fit in with the majority society, and their fragile alliance collapses under racism, xenophobia, and religious bigotry, culminating in a haunting narrative where history refuses to stay buried. Throughout the story, Minkyung, Han’s fiancée and Jun’s distant relative, voices key moments, revealing Han’s malevolence and the influence of patriarchal Korean traditions.
“A much darker Korean rendition of The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and infused with the more chilling elements of Korean folk religion, The Ritual will be a satisfactory read for those interested in cultural and class clashes as well as avid genre readers alike.” —Joheun Lee, from the reader’s report