Yewon has dreams about a hotel where doors and windows come and go. These dreams appear whether she is asleep or not, leading me to believe they are more on the line of being displaced in time and space. An elderly man who is building an edifice of doors and windows in the woods is somehow linked to the dreams. As she travels through the dreams, Yewon see signs of people who were interrupted while eating and are now gone, and there is the stench and detritus of death.

The time period must be around 2011: Kim Jong Jun has just become supreme Leader of North Korea, and fears of aggression are experienced in South Korea. The legacies of grief, war, and tradition, are themes that are explored as Yewon experiences the death of her father, her brother being sent to guard the northern border, and her mother taking care of the bones.

I found this to be a hard book to follow due to my inability to appreciate magical realism. I also felt that calling this Gothic horror—a favorite genre of mine—was a push. However, the metaphor of tending the bones was an ingenious way to explore the themes of generational trauma and war.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Zando Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

So this is labeled in horror and honestly I don't think that is the correct category for this, it is honestly just literary fiction.
The point that Ham was trying to get across with the hotel was just lost on me. And much of the story just dragged on with no real point. There are some interesting aspects of the story, such as the concept of literally keeping the bones of your ancestors and cleansing them. Overall this book just did not work for me, but it was not bad enough that caused me to DNF for what it's worth.

SUCH an unexpected new horror novel. I feel like I'm always looking for something new, unique, and special and I really feel like that's what The Invisible Hotel is. It really brings in cultural struggles and forces the reader to confront some uncomfortable topics. It is a bit confusing in places, but I think worth it overall.

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and Zando Projects for letting me read an eARC of The Invisible Hotel. I enjoyed reading The Invisible Hotel; it was not what I expected it to be. The horror came from the disjointed, surreal structure of the narrative and the observations about how the trauma has affected everyone around and including Yewon. The novel is an easy recommendation for anyone who loves a slow-burning horror story with surreal elements.

You don’t know how much I wanted to give this a 5. I wanted to give it a 5 so much istg. But… it was long. It wasn’t long in terms of number of pages in a vacuum, but it stretched for longer than it’s welcome by quite a bit. Thanks for the arc.

This book was described as horror but it doesn't really read as horror to me so that was disappointing. I did learn a lot about south Korean culture and I love that this covers important topics like the trauma from war.

Reading the synopsis I was interesting in the gothic horror aspect of the book. I have to say that I do not think that matches the genre correctly. Though I’m not sure what would describe it best.

This reminds me of an indie film that a lot of work has been put into but you don’t fully grasp the meaning of everything. At least, for me. And that is okay! I’m sure for another reader this book may reach them deeper than it did for me.

I didn’t hate it. But also didn’t love it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Zando Press and Yeji Y Ham. I have written this review voluntarily.

The Invisible Hotel was not at all what I was expecting. It is described as a horror book, it is not horror in the traditional sense. I found it hard to follow at times, and got quite boring and slow. The book as a whole was atmospheric, I just don't think it is my kind of book.

Yewon lives in a village with her mother and siblings but longs for the bright lights of the city, particularly Seoul. Life at home seems to be deeply troubled, with her mother retaining the bones of various ancestors in the bathtub.

Yewon is asked to drive an elderly North Korean refugee, Ms San, to visit her son, who is in prison. This is disturbing for Yewon, as she knows that most people there are half starved and have no real freedoms. This reality is contrasted well with the dizzy consumerism of city inhabitants, experienced too by Yewon, as she comes to stay erith her cousin in the big city.

In the meantime,, Yewon is preoccupied with visions, or nightmares, of a mysterious hotel.

Working part time in a museum, Yewon comes to learn more about how the horrific consequences of the war between the two Koreas continues to haunt its people. She has to find the key to both present and past for her family to move on, if she can.

The plot is a little confusing to follow át times

This novel is both atmospheric and disturbing, and certainly holds up a mirror to how much loss and tragedy have shaped the psyche of many in South Korea. And after 75 years, that war is far from. over..

Yewon is an unemployed convenience store worker who still lives with her mother. Still residing in a small South Korean village, she feels trapped and unable to better her situation. With her mother’s constant ritual of washing the bones of her ancestors along with the other town folk, Yewon’s only respite is the hotel she visits in her dreams. Full of terror and intrigue, the hotel has an infinite amount of keys to the many rooms it holds. She is desperate to figure out its secrets, yet just as desperate to escape its confines.

Taking on the task of driving the aging and mysterious Ms. Han to visit her brother in prison and with her brother stationed close to the North Korean border, Yewon begins to feel reality slipping away as her two worlds begin to blur together.

I wouldn’t say this novel was scary per se, but it was interesting. I was expecting more of a horror vibe, but in the end, I found myself just as confused and disoriented as the characters.
While I enjoyed the idea of the story and the hidden truths withheld from the novel's beginning, I would have liked more structure. Understanding that reality was slipping away from her at times, I get why the story was written as it was and appreciated it for the unique portrayal of the main character.

Overall, it is a solid read for those who love dark and mysterious characters living in an almost M. Night Shyamalan dreamscape.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really interesting story and concept, but harder to follow. I would like to recommend this to teens/YA, but I think some would have a harder time following, especially without knowing the historical context. Cool idea, but not a favorite.

Loved much of this book. Stark. Haunting. But a bit long in some portions so that the tension falls away.

War never truly ends. This is a statement that rings true for many South Korean families, including Yewon's own. Even as a small child, she and her siblings had to live with the bones of relatives long gone. For so many families, war, grief, and death are handed down through generations, and letting them go is nearly impossible. When Yewon is asked to drive a North Korean woman to visit her estranged brother, her view of the conflict between North and South Korea reaches a new height. Plagued by nightmares about a strange hotel, Yewon starts to question the people around her, their way of living, and her own future.

I didn't know much about South Korea going into this book, but what I found was equal parts depressing and sad. I hadn't realized how many Koreans lived with the fear of war daily, and how the past affects them every day. This book was certainly an eye-opener and a tragic one at that. I only wish the story would have been shortened a bit, as I felt certain elements got lost in its pages.

Grief and horror are just a match made in heaven.
I have a soft spot for historical horror, bonus points when not set in the western world.

I loved how atmospheric this novel was, Ham really knows how to enfold you into the narrative. I believe this would have been a 5 star read for me had it been a little shorter by around 100 pages or so… this does seem to be a common complaint from me of late so, I guess take that with a grain of salt and blame my attention span?

If you want a beautiful exploration of grief, and the long lasting wide reaching impacts of war, and family traumas, with a touch of other worldly horror, look not further- you’ve found what your looking for!

The Invisible Hotel was unexpectedly brilliant! An amazing exploration of intergenerational and cultural trauma. As some other reviews have pointed out, it could have been slightly shorter. I can't wait to see what comes next from Ham, definitely one to watch.

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Yeji Y. Ham's "The Invisible Hotel" is a mesmerizing and haunting addition to the genre of literary horror. It's a novel that weaves the supernatural with the all-too-real horrors of war, memory, and the burden of history. The story of Yewon, a young woman entangled in a web of surreal dreams and the stark realities of life in a South Korean village, is both harrowing and deeply moving. Ham masterfully crafts a narrative that is as much about the individual's struggle as it is a reflection on a nation's collective trauma.

The novel's setting—a hotel with infinite rooms and keys, symbolizing the unending maze of history and memory—is brilliantly conceptualized. Ham's writing is atmospheric and evocative, creating a sense of unease and intrigue that compels the reader to delve deeper into Yewon's world. The imagery of the decrepit bathtub and the ancestral bones is striking, serving as a powerful metaphor for the weight of history and the scars of a war that lingers in the collective consciousness of the characters.

Ham's exploration of themes such as familial bonds, cultural heritage, and the haunting presence of past conflicts is done with both subtlety and depth. The portrayal of Yewon's family, each member grappling with their own ghosts and struggles, adds layers of complexity to the narrative. This is not just a story of individual horror, but a poignant commentary on the societal and psychological impacts of war and division.

"The Invisible Hotel" stands out for its unique blend of gothic horror and political allegory. It is reminiscent of Han Kang's "The Vegetarian" and Yoko Ogawa's "The Memory Police" in its ability to balance the surreal with the profoundly real, the personal with the political. This book is a must-read for those who appreciate literary horror that not only scares but also provokes thought and empathy. Yeji Y. Ham has created a work that is haunting in its imagery and profound in its exploration of human and national psyche, making "The Invisible Hotel" a remarkable and unforgettable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. The story was very disturbing and awful but chose to portray the true reality of life and all its sorrows. The writing was very well done and evocative, and I loved reading about Korean culture which is so dear to my heart. Really enjoyed all the elements of the story, although perhaps the novel should have been shorter. 3 stars.

I don't know much South Korea so I found this to be a bit educational. I definitely think it could have been shorter, but it was still a heartbreaking portrait of how a country might cope with tragedy, and a young woman's struggle with finding her place in it all. It is certainly a unique addition to the gothic/horror genre

It would've been quite an effective study of the ways in which post-war trauma warps temporality had it been at least a hundred pages shorter. As it is, one can feel the metaphors being belabored and stretched beyond their welcome. On the other hand, I did learn new things about South Korea - I didn't know it was quite a militarized society as depicted in the novel, and that the militarization takes its toll in that way. Additional star for that.

One of my favorite books this year. While very disturbing at times, it was so well written and will stay with me for days..look forward to seeing more by this author.