Whale

This book is not for the faint-hearted.
Dickens once described Great Expectations as “a very fine, new and grotesque idea”, and this story, apparently inspired by Great Expectations, is definitely grotesque.
Be prepared for quite graphic rape, murder, sexual assault, and torture, at least every 30 pages of this ~350 page multi-generational epic. And epic it is, though a far cry from Pachinko. Another comparison I've seen is Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude.
The grotesque and the sensationalist storytelling is, either by author or translator, somehow, perhaps through its writhing vivid imagery, singing in blood and the fierce will to live of its protagonists, written with literary strokes which keep the reader engaged, though disturbed.
I was reminded of the novel When I Dance, Mountains Sing, by Irene Sola, in its tone, more than Great Expectations.
This story's sensationalism was uncomfortable for me. The horrific eventualities that befall its female and differently abled protagonists, though both historically accurate and somewhat fitting the hyperbole of folkloric satirical tone, imply an awareness in the male author of the voyeuristic pleasure some audiences will find in their perverse sensationalism, which the book's tone cannot excuse. I think what reinforced this opinion in me was Cheon Myeong-Kwan's unsophisticated handling of transgender experiences and wlw relationships.
I don't regret reading this book. I suspect many of the cultural and historical references were lost on me as someone not as intimately acquainted with the history of the Korean peninsula and politics as many, and others may find a greater richness with knowledge of these references, but be forewarned it's not for everyone.