‘Your Utopia’: Bora Chung’s new book of short stories is an explosion for the senses

Reading short stories is quite like midnight snacking. Irresistible. Instant gratification guaranteed. Sure, there’s some guilt in giving in to the temptation at first, but that is easily overpowered by the joy in your soul after the secret expedition to the kitchen.

Bora Chung’s latest offering, Your Utopia, will have short story fans asking for more. All eight stories, translated from the original Korean by Anton Hur, shine in their thematic richness, swift plot progression, effortless character development, and oddball endings. You are hooked from the very first page.

Extraordinary ordeals

The first story in the collection – “The Center for Immortality Research” – is a winner and sets the standard for what is to follow. Preparations for the 98th anniversary are in full swing at the Center for Immortality Research when an unexpected intrusion from a stalker takes centre stage. What unfolds in a bid to keep the intruder at bay is that skeletons tumble out of the closet of a research lab that pretends to be a major pharmaceutical company when in reality, it is just “attached to one”.

The breakneck pace with which themes of corporate hierarchy, moral bankruptcy, political muscle power, twisted personal relationships, bonds between absolute strangers, and so...

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