이현정

Jo Gap-sang’s The Eye of the Night is a historical fiction that evokes the sealed memory of the fallen and silenced, those people who have been negated as “non-people” in Korean history. Centered around the civilian massacre in the South during the Korean War, Jo’s understated prose skillfully unveils the outrageous brutality of the political surveillance and the intertwining threads of civilian and military violence within the nation-state of Korea during the tumultuous period from the Korean War to the 70s. Characters like Han Yong-bum and Ok Gu-yeol, emblematic of ordinary people, grapple with the uncertainty of their existence as political landscapes shift.

Laying bare the profound impact of political and military violence on ordinary citizens, the novel powerfully delves into the dismal realities of their lives. Yet, amid the heartbreak, The Eye of the Night offers a comforting voice to the silenced victims of savageries, finally acknowledging their suffering.

English readers will be captivated by the narrative’s revelation of the shadowy side of Korea’s political and economic achievements. Jo adeptly places the Korean War and domestic politics against the backdrop of the Cold War, providing a valuable historical context. Moreover, the novel serves as a timely alarm against the rise of extreme binaries and authoritarian powers worldwide, resonating with contemporary global concerns.

Jo Gap-sang’s The Eye of the Night is a historical fiction that evokes the sealed memory of the fallen and silenced, those people who have been negated as “non-people” in Korean history. Centered around the civilian massacre in the South during the Korean War, Jo’s understated prose skillfully unveils the outrageous brutality of the political surveillance and the intertwining threads of civilian and military violence within the nation-state of Korea during the tumultuous period from the Korean War to the 70s. Characters like Han Yong-bum and Ok Gu-yeol, emblematic of ordinary people, grapple with the uncertainty of their existence as political landscapes shift. Laying bare the profound impact of political and military violence on ordinary citizens, the novel powerfully delves into the dismal realities of their lives. Yet, amid the heartbreak, The Eye of the Night offers a comforting voice to the silenced victims of savageries, finally acknowledging their suffering. English readers will be captivated by the narrative’s revelation of the shadowy side of Korea’s political and economic achievements. Jo adeptly places the Korean War and domestic politics against the backdrop of the Cold War, providing a valuable historical context. Moreover, the novel serves as a timely alarm against the rise of extreme binaries and authoritarian powers worldwide, resonating with contemporary global concerns.