Genre-blending novels are in! We at THP love when a book combines some of our favorite genres and elements into one. Maria Dong’s new novel, Aviary, mixes Korean folklore with a haunting Gothic mystery and psychological thriller. This book is as unsettling as it is powerful.
Aviary tells the story of 19-year-old Song Hee-Jin, an undocumented immigrant living in South Korea. When the corpse of her sister Hee-Young unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep, Hee-Jin takes this chance to escape her old life. She takes Hee-Young’s place in an American art program in order to find what really happened to her sister.
If you’re already intrigued, then we urge you to read on. Here are three things that stood out to us about Aviary by Maria Dong!
Book Overview: Aviary
Content warnings: death, murder, corpses, gore, violence, rape, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, suicidal thoughts, body horror, abusive relationship, forced captivity, alcoholism, drugging, vomiting, serious injury, needles, weapons, mentions of car accident and overdose (Please read at your discretion!)
Summary: Nineteen-year-old undocumented immigrant Hee-Jin lies on the floor of her cramped Seoul apartment, listening for footsteps.
But the knock on the door isn’t the police finally coming to deport her to North Korea. Instead, sprawled on the doorstep is a disfigured, bird-like corpse—and it has her eyes. Her younger sister, artist Hee-Young, is meant to be on an art program in America, not dead of a strange overdose.
But in Hee-Young’s pocket is a plane ticket and US passport. Seeing her chance for freedom, Hee-Jin steals her sister’s identity and takes her place, determined to uncover what really happened to her.
But the deeper she dives into the program’s strange workings, the closer she gets to the monstrous secret at its heart.
Petite Sea House
Once Hee-Jin makes it to the States, she’s roped into the Petite Sea House in Pittsburgh. She and five other girls follow a strict routine centered around meals, studio time, and events with the program’s patrons. Aviary demonstrates that the Gothic house does not always take on the form of a creepy, haunted house. It can be a house that’s painted white all over, spotless. The Petite Sea House has plenty of off-limits areas, which hold the most sordid secrets.
Dual Points Of View
Aviary takes on Hee-Jin’s perspective, as well as Callie’s. Callie oversees the girls’ artwork, but she’s also battling grief in her own way. She wants to leave Petite Sea House, yet she continues to be drawn back in by her ex-husband Shepherd, the head of the program. The two characters struggle with trust and facing their past. Without both points of view, we would not have been able to get a full picture of the house or Hee-Young’s time there.
The Big Reveals
The more Hee-Jin finds out about what the “art” program entails in Aviary, the more danger she faces. She’s held hostage, then supervised closely by another girl, Heta. On the other hand, Callie’s worldview crumbles when she realizes Shepherd has lied to her for years. From the truth about her car accident to what happens to the people who leave the program, nothing is as she believes. Thankfully, some of the characters find their escape, and the others? Well, we won’t spoil the ending.
Blending Korean folklore with a psychological thriller, Maria Dong’s Aviary is a haunting tale of power: the use, abuse, and reclamation of it. This novel will keep you up long after you finish reading.
Aviary by Maria Dong comes out April 7th, and you can order a copy of it here!
What do you think of Maria Dong’s new psychological thriller? Are you interested in reading Aviary? Let us know in the comments below! You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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