Atmospheric and fast-paced, this novel of manners set in a provincial South Korean city leads readers through the silent corridors of a school for hearing-impaired children and the city's foggy back streets and murky centers of power to a stirring courtroom climax. Gong Ji-young's Togani (The Crucible), published in Korean in 2009, is based on a historic case of child sexual abuse at a state-run institution. The novel went on to sell nearly a million copies and, along with a 2011 film adaptation directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, prompted the South Korean National Assembly to pass the "Togani Laws" to provide greater legal protections for children and vulnerable adults under state care and harsher penalties for those convicted of their abuse. At a time when Korean popular culture drives cultural production worldwide, Togani reminds us of the power of fiction to effect meaningful societal change.A story of courage in the face of corruption, Togani...

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Yujeong – beautiful, bright and wealthy – is in hospital recovering from her third suicide attempt. Angry at the world, she reluctantly accepts her nononsense aunt's suggestion: to accompany her on charitable visits to inmates on death row. At first, Yunsu – a convicted murderer – seems unrepenting and savage. Yujeong is repulsed by his crimes, but detects deep suffering behind his hard demeanour. Slowly and with growing passion, the two young misfits reveal to each other the dark secrets and traumas that have shaped their lives. Yet every week Yunsu's hands are in cuffs, and it is impossible to forget that the time they have together is painfully short... From one of South Korea's bestselling authors... a story that will make you rethink the way we can love others, and how we can ultimately redeem ourselves.