The Naked Tree -- Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Paperback

A delicate, timeless, and breathtaking coming-of-age story.

The critically acclaimed and award-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim returns with a stunning addition to her body of graphic fiction rooted in Korean history. Adapted from Park Wan-seo's beloved novel, The Naked Tree paints a stark portrait of a single nation's fabric slowly torn to shreds by political upheaval and armed conflict.

The year is 1951. Twenty-year-old wallflower Lee Kyung ekes out a living at the US Post Exchange, where goods and services of varying stripe are available for purchase. She peddles hand-painted portraits on silk handkerchiefs to soldiers passing through. When a handsome young northern escapee and erstwhile fine artist is hired despite waning demand, an unlikely friendship blossoms into a young woman's first brush with desire against the backdrop of the Korean War at its most devastating.

Gendry-Kim brings a masterpiece of world literature to life with bold, expressive lines that capture a denuded landscape brutally forced into transition and the people who must find their way back to each other within it. Available for the first time in English, this edition of The Naked Tree is exquisitely translated by award-winning expert Janet Hong.

Author: Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Published: 08/22/2023
Pages: 316
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.39lbs
Size: 8.36h x 6.05w x 0.92d
ISBN: 9781770466678

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/26/2023
Booklist 07/01/2023 pg. 36
Library Journal 07/14/2023 pg. 1