thank you netgalley for the ARC! i pre-ordered a copy.

midnight timetable is a book of ghost stories, which are all interconnected.

a new employee at mysterious institute is curious about past employees and the institute itself and ask their sunbae about them.

we learn about the fate of past employees, and we learn about specific rooms and objects found at the institute.

i especially loved how it all tied up at the end with the sunning story which was a delight.

i went to a book event where bora chung talked a bit about ghost stories from their childhood and it was fun to see a couple elements mentionned at the event in midnight timetable.

the stories are all a spin on traditional korean ghost stories / customs. the last few pages do a good job of explaining bora chung's thought process.

my favorite aspect about the book was the symbolism in each story, the birds, the shoe, the handkerchief, day and night, and of course the sheep.

3 stars

Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur.

The narrator is a night watchman (watch person?) at a mysterious institute that houses cursed objects….an employees often don’t last long there. Through various short tales you’ll visit rooms with a haunted handkerchief, a cursed sneaker and a very interesting cat.

Each haunting is an allegory for something bigger in the real world which is very clear within the tale. I found these to be typical Korean ghost stories, at least from what I have seen; objects seem to play a big role. The book itself is very short, but there are some nice stories here; I particularly enjoyed “Tunnel” and the hopeful end of the entire book. In the Afterword the author explains some of the motivation behind the tales and notes that ghost stories are a great cure for writers’ block.

I’ve read both of Bora Chung’s short story collections, Cursed Bunny & Your Utopia, so I was very much looking forward to this. I think this is my favorite of her works so far, as I enjoyed most of the stories that were included (and the overall concept is so unique!). My biggest struggle with Chung’s works (that also extend to Midnight Timetable) is that Korean horror doesn’t translate well into written English, so it can make the stories feel less intense or creepy. This is not an issue of the translator, who I think does an excellent job, but the fact that certain words/phrases have no direct translation into English that would evoke the same emotional response. That being said, I feel like this is her strongest work yet and I am looking forward to adding it to my physical library upon publication. Thank you for providing the eARC via NetGalley!

I really enjoyed the stories in this book and look forward to recommending it to people who love horror/spooky themes as well as ghost stories. The range of the stories was good and I will definitely be remembering these characters for a long time after finishing the book. Yet another great read from Bora Chung!

The Midnight Timetable is a book of short stories that all tie together to form a bigger story; a concept that isn't new but can surely be amazing if done right.
When I first read the synopsis I was really intrigued and I also loved the first story in the book, which introduces the setting and the overall theme: A institute that houses haunted objects! That sounds like an awesome idea, right? Well, it surely is and I'm not denying that, but the problem is the actual stories about the haunted objects fell flat for me. They felt overly long at times and not in the least like a ghost story I would expect from haunted objects. The story I disliked the most was the one about the jealous brothers and the handkerchief. The biggest problem was that it was more told than shown and we all know that can be an issue with writing.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book.

Midnight Timetable is a cabinet of cursed curiosities, and Bora Chung once again proves she is one of the most inventive voices in contemporary fiction.

Set in a unnamed institute that catalogues haunted and dangerous objects, the book is structured as a series of interconnected stories that include a ghost story, speculative fiction, and fable. The brilliance lies in how seamlessly each tale reflects some deeper social problem—grief, cruelty, exploitation, and loss—without ever becoming overwrought.

Through a cast of interchangeable staff, researchers, and lingering spirits, Chung offers glimpses into the lives marked by these haunted artifacts: a handkerchief that carries resentment like a scent, a sneaker that refuses to let go, a cat that remembers too much. Each narrative peels back a new layer of the Institute’s unnatural quiet, forcing readers to question what’s truly being studied.

What makes Midnight Timetable so unnerving isn’t the presence of ghosts, but how natural the story feels. Fans of Cursed Bunny will find familiar parts here, but this collection builds something new: a ghost story that feels like a slow burn creeping up your legs.

Midnight Timetable invites readers to sit with discomfort, to notice what’s lurking at the edge of our everyday lives—and to consider what it means when we catalog horror instead of healing it.

#midnighttimetable #borachung #ghoststories #algonquinbooks

After hearing so many great things about Cursed Bunny I was very excited to get approved for this ARC. Midnight Timetable tells the stories of different haunted objects and how they came to find their place at the researcher facility where our narrator works overnight security. Each room in the facility is a lab housing a different cursed or haunted object with its own unique backstory, however many of the story connect in someway. I loved the premise of the book and thought this was such a fun idea and way to tell a multitude of stories, however the stories themselves fell flat. I love the sheep though.

"Midnight Timetable" is a captivating collection of ghost stories by acclaimed Korean author Bora Chung. This genre-defying anthology draws parallels to her previous work, "Cursed Bunny," presenting a rich tapestry of interconnected tales.

Chung skillfully merges elements of magical realism, fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, reminiscent of "Black Mirror." The true horror lies in real-world atrocities, exploring themes like patriarchy, societal greed, and injustice.

Her haunting prose pulls readers into a familiar yet unsettling world, confronting contemporary issues and amplifying the horror through the interplay of the spectral and the real. I highly recommend "Midnight Timetable" for a thought-provoking and chilling read. A special thanks to Algonquin and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy (ARC).