Books Set in Korea – Write on the World

Desperation, dark humor, and a wildly tangled web of secrets collide in Mrs. Shim Is a Killer by Kang Jiyoung, a novel that transforms a grieving widow’s fight for survival into something far more unexpected—and undeniably entertaining.

Mrs. Shim is simply trying to keep her family afloat after losing both her husband and her job at a butcher shop. But when she answers a vague job listing and discovers her knife skills are needed for something far more dangerous, her life takes a sharp turn into the world of contract killing. What follows is less a straightforward thriller and more a darkly comedic descent into chaos, where misunderstandings, hidden motives, and unlikely connections drive the story forward.

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One of the most striking elements of this novel is its tone. There’s an almost slapstick quality to the violence and the situations Mrs. Shim finds herself in, giving the story a surreal edge. The idea that her transition from butcher to assassin feels oddly natural is part of the book’s charm—it leans fully into its premise and invites the reader to do the same.

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There’s a particular kind of dread that creeps in when you realize the person watching didn’t just stumble into power—they built it themselves. In Molka by Monika Kim, that realization lands early and lingers long after the final page.

Set in a seemingly ordinary Seoul office building, the novel introduces Junyoung, an IT technician who has taken surveillance far beyond anything sanctioned or accidental. The cameras he watches aren’t part of the company’s security system—they’re his. Installed deliberately, carefully, and invasively throughout the building, including in restrooms, they give him total control over the private lives of the women around him. This isn’t passive observation. It’s calculated, obsessive, and deeply violating.