Description
Diary of a Murderer captivates and provokes in equal measure, exploring what it means to be on the edge—between life and death, good and evil. In the titular novella, a former serial killer suffering from memory loss sets his sights on one final target: his daughter’s boyfriend, who he suspects is also a serial killer. In other stories we witness an affair between two childhood friends that questions the limits of loyalty and love; a family’s disintegration after a baby son is kidnapped and recovered years later; and a wild, erotic ride about pursuing creativity at the expense of everything else.

MY REVIEW:
Diary of a Murderer is translated from Korean and starts as a journal where we are shown meticulous records on every step of each murders and how he felt each time he killed and buried his victims. There are four unrelated stories in total. The first story is about Kim coming out of retirement because he wants to kill his daughter's boyfriend.

The next story is about a woman living with an abusive husband. The third story about the missing child was more interesting to me. Imaginable to think of your child being kidnapped and living in that anguish for so long until he is found and then to have him reluctant to live with you because he does not know anything about you and does not see you as the parent - very heart wrenching. The last story is about a writer that has mental health issues. This one was not that interesting.

Overall it was an interesting read. I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

An entertaining collection of short stories. Honestly this book was hard to review because while the first story was a definite five star read the rest were three. I’d still recommend the book for the first story alone.

Diary of a Murderer

This was my first experience reading from the award-winning Korean author Young-ha Kim. The reason Diary of a Murderer caught my attention in the first place was because I saw a tweet by an author friend saying he was reading it. The power of social media, my friends.

This book is a collection of four unrelated stories. All of them are grounded in Korean identities from a rural old man with Alzheimer's disease to a tragic couple mourning the kidnapping of their son. Young-ha and Lee's translation skills showed worlds that while completely foreign to me, were woven with the single thread of humanity. The fourth story even sends the main character, a writer in a slump, to New York City's Chinatown, a place I have visited. The book's world was tangible from the descriptions of smells, textures and sounds like the bamboo trees in the wind during the first and titular story, Diary of a Murderer which I admit was my favorite.

That first tale of the old man, Kim Byeongsu was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. He's a serial killer coming out of "retirement" with the sole mission to murder his daughter's boyfriend who Kim believes is also a new serial killer in the village. Each diary entry shows the good days and bad days of Alzheimer's disease eating away at his memories. He has clear recollection of decades previous but can't remember that he already tried to make his lunch. How can an author make a serial killer sympathetic? This method was like a punch in the gut, the kind of punch that knocks the wind right out of you.

"I began killing when I was sixteen, and I continued until I was forty-five."

Despite the Alzheimer's disease, some of what Kim experiences is perfectly normal concern for this person, Eunhui, who he considers his daughter. Of course a doting parent would worry about the person their child is dating. Suspicions would grow in anyone who sees this person popping in places and in dangerous situations. The reactions are real until Kim decides murdering this other man is the only option.

Young-ha pulls from great thinkers in history: Nietzsche, Homer, and Sophocles. He shows the parallels between Oedipus and Kim Byeongsu. The Odyssey is referenced for the character's dedication to a defined mission only to be forgotten the next minute.

"I've decided on a final goal before I die. To kill Pak Jutae. Before I forget who he is."

The anguish and frustration of not only Kim but also Eunhui are so tangible. She can't tolerate his condition for one more second. She knows that he needs proper care in a nursing home where he can be watched constantly and be safe.

His past crimes finally come to light on his own terms. Kim wants to have all that out in the open before he dies. He is that friendly quiet neighbor in the village who lost his mind in old age but was secretly a serial killer. This is the kind of person Netflix would have a four-part documentary and then an original movie about. Kim is a fascinating character because of all the depth he is given by Young-ha.

The Origin of Life

The second story, The Origin of Life, didn't grab me nearly as much as the first. Readers meet Ina, a woman who is in a horribly abusive marriage; and Seojin, a childhood friend who grows into one of the men who pines for her and wants to save her. There's also Ina's husband and a creepy, lurking loan shark in play.

The characters are just as real as Diary of a Murderer, but I wasn't gripped waiting for the next scene like I was with that first story.

Missing Child

The third story, Missing Child, has much of the same anguish and frustrations as Diary of a Murderer. It's a satisfying story despite all the heartbreak. Yunseok and Mira begin as a normal middle class couple buying groceries with their toddler in the shopping cart. Then every parent's nightmare: the boy is kidnapped while they have changed their attention for just a couple minutes. After that happens, the schizophrenia that had been nearly invisible in Mira comes boiling to the surface and she is unrecognizable.

Seongmin, their son is only found when the woman who kidnapped him is killed. His DNA had been in some kind of missing person's database and the authorities discover the match. He's a petulant teenage boy dealing with the worst tragedy and then yank from his world into this strange place being told he has to live with people he doesn't remember at all.

"Seongmin had no idea that he was kidnapped." Yunseok had considered that possiblity. Seongmin was three in the Korean counting system, and not yet two in the international counting system, so it made sense.

Again, Young-ha Kim presents the reader with quintessential material about what is means to be Korean. The father character Yunseok leaves his automobile factory job for part-time work that isn't enough to pay for anything more than squalor.

The Writer

The final story is titled The Writer. As a writer with her share of mental health breakdowns in her life, I wasn't surprised the character of the writer, Bak Mansu, loses his mind. His ex-wife Suji is also his editor and works for the publishing company which is bought by a rich Korean investor who made millions in America on Wall Street. Mansu refers to this investor as Raccoon. He gives everyone in his life mental nicknames, like his poet friends Philosophy or Cafe.

"He had large eyes but a small nose and narrow lips, and deep dark circles under his eyes that gave him a raccoon look."

Besides the worries of writer's block (yes, it is so a real thing), Mansu takes off for New York City to try writing in Raccoon's apartment which is a not as the man had described it at all. Then Raccoon's estranged wife shows up. It could be comedic, but instead Young-ha Kim takes the opportunity to introduce a nonstop erotic ten days for Mansu. The constant erections and sexual escapades with the most beautiful woman in the world, a woman so attractive she may as well be a goddess, are enough inspiration for Mansu to finally stay up every night writing. The manuscript is not at all what he had pitched to Raccoon and Suji.

The Writer is a modern noir complete with the mysterious and sex-crazed femme fatale. Oh and there's also a gun in the nightstand because it wouldn't be a noir without one. This stories has all the necessary elements: the ex-wife who may or may not be sleeping with a married man; the married boss who knows that his wife sleeps with anyone and everyone; the writer who doesn't even want to write anymore but finds a woman to stir up his brain and genitals. The friends are also pompous assholes in their own way but necessary for Young-ha's exquisite skill with irony.

Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories came out in April. I highly recommend giving this one a chance to broaden your reading diversity while having familiar criminal elements.

A page turning creative book of short stories.The lead story Diary of a murderer a serial killer with dementia is a standout. Highly recommend this book.#netgalley#hmh

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

This is a collection of four short stories... with the title story being the best of them all. The title story is a novella. It's written more as a diary of a serial killer who has developed dementia.

Easy & quick reads.

The crown jewel of this collection is undoubtedly the title story, which is a dark little delight and worthy of a five star rating on its own. Happily, the remaining stories in this book, while not quite hitting the standard of Diary of a Murderer are compelling and original in their own right.

Lovely little collection for anyone who likes their crime fiction on the right side of bleak.

Recommended. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc,

Will post review to Goodreads.

All four stories in this collection were darkly humorous, with brilliant contrast between conflicting forces. For instance, the title story, which is more a novella, is a fictional diary written by a former serial killer who has developed dementia. We read about his history as a serial killer while also realizing that he is in the midst of losing his grasp on reality and becoming unreliable, but was he ever reliable in the first place? In “Missing Child,” a three-year-old’s parents are devastated when their son is kidnapped. The parents’ lives crumble while they search for the child. The child is found ten years later and returned “home.” The excitement of finally finding their child contrasts with the reality of the strange teenager who now lives with them. All the stories seem to have this strong dynamic which makes them suspenseful, but the author also takes the stories in new directions. This collection also has what has to be one of my all-time favorite first lines for a short story, which starts the story “The Writer.” There are lots of brilliant ideas throughout the collection.

This is an interesting mix of stories that are all fascinating in their own way. The title piece, Diary of a Murderer is the stand out classic that will stay with you long after you have finished it.

This collection of stories is different and definitely worth reading if you’re looking for something unusual!