“What is love, if not the desire to hear all the songs in the world through the voice of just one person?”

The bittersweet curse and love of a being both human and fish

Seonhyeong's life in his 20s brims with joy and passion as he forms a band after meeting Gyeongju, a fellow member of their university's music composition club who has a beautiful voice. Faced with the harsh realities of life, he succumbs to his mother's unrelenting pressure, and begins preparing for the civil service exam, yet he cannot bring himself to abandon his dream of composing songs for talented vocalists. Meanwhile, his uncle, once employed in shipbuilding but laid off due to the financial crisis, becomes involved in smuggling exotic creatures. Tragedy strikes when his uncle’s skeletal remains are discovered in the mountains, leaving Seonhyeong as the unexpected inheritor of his uncle’s aquarium building. There, he discovers a mermaid named Finnie living in an underground tank, her tongue severed. Initially gripped by fear, Seonhyeong tries to escape but is captivated by Finnie’s mesmerizing voice, just as his uncle had been, as if guided by a persistent family legacy. As he grapples with the sudden popularity of a plagiarized song from his band days and intense conflicts with his former love Gyeongju, Seonhyeong falls under the mermaid’s spell, crossing forbidden lines. As Finnie’s tongue gradually grows back, he falls deeper into a maddening, all-consuming love. What fate awaits him at the end of this perilous journey?

As sharp as Finnie’s teeth and as mesmerizing as her iridescent scales, Fins in the Mouth draws inspiration from sirens who bewitch humans with their enchanting voices, leading them to their doom. Through a delicate and nuanced writing style, the novel explores the cruel nature of love that compels one to surrender their entire being to another. In addition to the love story of Finnie and Seonhyeong, which seems to hold the humidity of a clamorous rainy season, the novel also serves as a lullaby, tenderly soothing our youth and shattered dreams that often wilt helplessly in the face of life’s relentless realities. In this regard, readers can encounter a new chapter in Cho Ye-eun’s literary world.

“The innocent, near-crazed passion and youth have met their end, bearing no fruit."

A poignant story about shattered dreams

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