House of Pungsu by K.P. Kulski

House of Pungsu is a short but sublimely crafted tale. From the first paragraph I was transported. 

A young woman coming of age, and her struggle against societal and family expectations, is a well-known and almost universal theme at this point, but Kulski has achieved a delightfully novel take with this book. The Korean Joseon-era palace, with only three inhabitants, unchanging and inescapable, is gorgeously strange. I adored how Kulski juxtaposed this with the normal flexibility of its interiors; sliding rice-paper doors completely transforming the layout in minutes.

Our characters have no names, only Daughter, Mother, and Grandmother. There is no history or context given, just that the three live in the palace by themselves, it never changes and never will. Except it does, because Daughter begins to menstruate. This marks a sort of awakening for her, because this is at the very beginning it feels like her eyes have been opened, she starts to question everything and yearns for independence, as teenagers do. The story is mostly told from her point of view. 

What makes it so unsettling is that Daughter has some awareness of her situation, as do Mother and Grandmother, but they go through the motions day-to-day anyway. Grandmother, I assumed, would be a sweet old mentor type from her introduction, but quickly turns out to have a taste for gruesome stories and must be locked in her room at night. Mother it seemed would be cold and strict, but we’re shown she is pained by her knowledge and longs to connect with Daughter.

Kulski plays with reader expectations and turns them upside-down. As the story progresses it only gets stranger but the pieces fall into place perfectly.

I did not get what I was expecting from this book, but I was delighted with what I got instead.

I took House of Pungsu to bed with me and because it is so short, only 81 pages, I was able to read it in one sitting before I went to sleep. And honestly, I think this is the best way to read it. A great spooky story to get cozy with on a cold night (unfortunately for me, the UK is currently experiencing a heatwave, but I can see myself returning to it when the frost draws in).
If you are looking for a rollercoaster of scares this is not the book for you, but if you hunger for the uncanny and that quiet mounting dread, House of Pungsu is an excellent choice.

Review by Dai Baddley

Twitter: @PrepareToDai