The Old Woman with the Knife

This intense allegorical tale is here translated twice, once into English from the Korean, and then into audio, and the listener has a sense of being estranged from the author's intentions by one or perhaps both of these processes. The title character, known only by her professional alias, Hornclaw, has been an assassin since she was 15. Now alone, aging, and beginning to make mistakes, she is trying to imagine her opaque future when it becomes apparent that something from her murderous past is also stalking her. Nancy Wu can't seem to get a handle on this character, abstract as she is, or help the listener much to experience the sorrow and terror of Gu's plot or her layered meanings about Korean society. B.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2022

This incredible, internationally best-selling South Korean thriller (Gu's first to be translated to English), elicits nearly every human emotion throughout its six-and-a-half-hour run time. Hornclaw is a South Korean assassin who is not ready to retire, but she has noticed that at 65, her aging body is beginning to slow her down. Working for Disease Control, a murder-for-hire business, she finds that knowing nothing about her target works best--until the day she messes up. Bleeding profusely, she finds herself beholden to a doctor outside the organization. As Hornclaw's past is slowly revealed, her human side is exposed. She's a ruthless killer, but she also provides an escape route for Deadweight, her lovable rescue dog, should she fail to return from a mission. Poignant and humorous, the story explores aging, relationships, difficult decisions, and vendettas. VERDICT Narrator Nancy Wu's lilt, emphasis, and pacing are impeccable, bringing life to Gu's characters, making them easy to differentiate and identify as the engrossing story unfolds.--Laura Trombley

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