KCCUK Hosts a Book Talk, ‘And the River Drags Her Down’ with the author Jihyun Yun

The Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) will host a book talk with Korean American writer Jihyun Yun, in conversation with Melinda Salisbury, bestselling author of Her Dark Wings, on her debut novel And the River Drags Her Down.

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the novel brings together Gothic horror and mystery with elements of Korean folklore. It follows Soojin, a teenage girl who, after the death of her older sister, breaks a long-standing taboo to bring her back from the dead — only to discover that what returns is not quite the sister she once knew.

Drawing on motifs of resurrection, ritual, and familial obligation, the novel reworks elements of Korean folklore within a contemporary narrative. Through its exploration of grief, sisterhood, and the consequences of crossing the boundary between life and death, it situates personal loss within a wider mythic and cultural framework.

During the event, Yun and Salisbury will discuss the novel and its development, as well as the role of folklore and mythology in contemporary writing. The conversation will consider how traditional narratives can be adapted and reinterpreted through Gothic horror and speculative fiction, and how such approaches open new possibilities for engaging with culturally specific material.

The talk provides an opportunity to explore how narratives rooted in Korean folklore can be translated into contemporary literary forms, and how they continue to resonate across different cultural contexts.

For more details, please visit https://kccuk.org.uk