Cursed Bunny-Bora Chung (Tr. Anton Hur)

Book: Cursed Bunny
Author: Bora Chung
Translator: Anton Hur
Publisher: Hachette India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Cursed Bunny is a genre-defying collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung. Blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction, Chung uses elements of the fantastic and surreal to address the very real horrors and cruelties of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society. Anton Hur's translation skillfully captures the way Chung's prose effortlessly glides from being terrifying to wryly humorous.

The book tells us 10 short stories that range from the supernatural to unimaginable beings walking among us. The stories are quite unique in themselves and while there is an element of horror in them, they are not the conventional spine-chilling stories one would expect. Each story has its own unique setting and characters with their individualities that propel the story forward. What stood out for me was that the intent of the story is built up one page at a time and the reveal happens when you least expect it to happen. Another interesting aspect about the stories was the fact that you might feel like taking a break after each one of them as you are so engrossed in the story that a breather becomes important. Science fiction is another interesting genre Bora has written and “Goodbye, My Love” was truly terrifying, especially the last few sentences and honestly the highlight in the entire book because I never thought that Sci-Fi could be explored in the manner which is done in this story.

The USP of the book is its similarity to a tasting menu where various genres are presented to you to savor. There is a bit of horror, science fiction, magic and other worldly beings in the stories being told and as a reader, you can explore how each genre can be treated and presented in such a fine form. Another reason why the book was such a good read was the impeccable translation and the essence of the stories could come out, rather than a soul-less changing of language.

Overall, the book is highly recommended for readers who prefer their magical realism and horror. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore.