The Law of Lines : A Novel

From the prize-winning author of The Hole, a slow-burning thriller about unseen forces that shape us & debts we accumulate, in life, in death.Winner of the several of Korea's top literary awards, The Law of Linesfollows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, an agoraphobe still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to shut out. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector & sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance.Gijeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant...Hye-young Pyun (b. 1972) earned her undergraduate degree in creative writing & graduate degree in Korean literature from Hanyang U. Her short story collections: Aoi Garden, To The Kennels, Evening Courtship, & Night Passes; & novels:City of Ash & Red, They Went to the Western Forest,The Law of Lines, & Let The Dead.Sora Kim-Russell's translations include, besides City of Ash & Red & The Law of Lines by Hye-young Pyun, Un-su Kim's The Plotters; Hwang Sok-yong's At Dusk, (longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize); & Suah Bae's Nowhere to be Found. sorakimrussell.com From the award-winning author of The Hole , a "Simmering" ( New York Times Book Review) and "Compelling" ( Wall Street Journal ) thriller—"A mystery masterpiece . . . Hye-young Pyun at her best" ( Books & Bao ), named a "Best International Crime Novel of 2020" ( CrimeReads) and selected as one of " Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year" ( LitHub ) The Law of Lines follows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, a recluse still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to escape. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector and sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance. Ki-jeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call from the police saying that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant from. Though her death, by drowning, is considered a suicide by the police, that doesn't satisfy Ki-jeong, and she goes to her sister's university to find out what happened. Her sister's cell phone reveals a thicket of lies and links to a company that lures students into a virtual pyramid scheme, preying on them and their relationships. One of the contacts in the call log is Se-oh. Like Hye-young Pyun's Shirley Jackson Award–winning novel The Hole , The Law of Lines an immersive thriller that explores the edges of criminality in ordinary lives, the unseen forces that shape us, and grief and debt. From the Award-Winning Author of The Hole , a "Simmering"* and "Compelling"** Thriller?"A Mystery Masterpiece . . . . Hye-young Pyun at Her Best"*** Named One of the "Best Books of 2020 (So Far)"**** * New York Times Book Review **Wall Street Journal *** Books & Bao ****CrimeReads The Law of Lines follows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, a recluse still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to escape. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector and sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance. Ki-jeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call from the police saying that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant from. Though her death, by drowning, is considered a suicide by the police, that doesn't satisfy Ki-jeong, and she goes to her sister's university to find out what happened. Her sister's cell phone reveals a thicket of lies and links to a company that lures students into a virtual pyramid scheme, preying on them and their relationships. One of the contacts in the call log is Se-oh. Like Hye-young Pyun's Shirley Jackson Award?winning novel The Hole , The Law of Lines an immersive thriller that explores the edges of criminality in ordinary lives, the unseen forces that shape us, and grief and debt From the Prize-Winning Author of The Hole , a Slow-Burning Thriller about Unseen Forces that Shape Us and Debts We Accumulate, in Life, in Death. Winner of several of Korea's top literary awards, The Law of Lines follows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, a recluse still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to escape. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector and sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance. Ki-jeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant from. Though her death, by drowning, is considered a suicide by the police, that doesn't satisfy Ki-jeong, and she goes to her sister's university to find out what happened. Her sister's cell phone reveals a thicket of lies and links to a company that lures students into a virtual pyramid scheme, preying on them and their relationships. One of the contacts in the call log is Se-oh. Like Hye-young Pyun's Shirley Jackson Awardwinning novel The Hole , an immersive thriller that explores the edges of criminality, the unseen forces in our most intimate lives, and grief and debt. "The Law of Lines follows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, an agoraphobe still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to shut out. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector and sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance. Gijeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant from. Though her death, by drowning, is considered a suicide by the police, that doesn't satisfy Gijeong, and she goes to her sister's university to find out what happened. Her sister's cell phone reveals a thicket of lies and links to a company that lures students into a virtual pyramid scheme, preying on them and their relationships. One of the contacts in the call log is Se-oh. Like Hye-young Pyun's Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel The Hole, The Law of Lines [is] an immersive thriller that explores the edges of crime, the unseen forces in our most intimate lives, and grief and debt."-- Provided by publisher