Shelter

Why should a man care for his parents when they failed to take care of him as a child?

Kyung Cho owns a house that he can't afford. His credit cards and student loan debts are spiralling out of control. Despite his promising career as a tenure-track professor, Kyung and his wife, Gillian, have always lived beyond their means. Now, their bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is worried for his family's future.

A few miles away, Kyung's parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town's most exclusive neighbourhood, surrounded by the material comforts that Kyung wants so badly for his wife and son. His own childhood, however, was far from comfortable - growing up, Kyung enjoyed every imaginable privilege, but never kindness or affection. He can hardly bear to see his parents, much less ask them for help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he decides to take them in. As the safe distance between them collapses, Kyung is forced to question what it means to be a good husband, father and son, while the life he knew begins to crumble and his own anger demands to be released.

As Shelter veers swiftly towards its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. In the tradition of Affliction and The House of Sand and Fog, Shelter is a masterfully crafted debut novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.