Skip to main content
 

Magnolia. A Novel
Click to enlarge

Magnolia. A Novel

ISBN 978-1-898823-18-6

Agnita Tennant

£19.95

Here is an extraordinary love story that speaks to the crisis of separation and scorn, love and hate, following the Korean War ceasefire in July 1953. Four years later, Sukey, a graduate with much promise, falls in love with Kwon, a man who confesses to having been a North Korean spy. Although hostilities are over, enmity towards the North is the social norm and deeply entrenched.  With anti-spy campaigns, street searches, and arrests of any suspect, citizens are urged to be vigilant and to report on any suspicious goings-on. When Sukey takes on Kwon as her lover, she has little idea of what it will be like to keep an ex-spy hidden away from society, her family and friends.  Her world changes overnight… Told with extraordinary honesty and immense sensitivity, insight and passion, this is also social history worthy of comparison with some of the nineteenth-century greats. It is historically educational, emotionally brave and a joy to read. Magnolia will interest all who study and enjoy modern Korean history and culture.

Agnita Tennant

978-1-898823-18-6  w  Hardback  w  358pp,  w  £18.50

2015

Highly charged and sensitively written, this novel is an absorbing and fascinating read in the context of Korean social history.  South Korea 1957. Sukey, an intelligent graduate with much promise, falls in love with a man, Kwon, who confesses to her that he has been a North Korean spy. It is four years since the Korean War ended in a cease-fire.  Even though fighting is suspended, hostility and enmity towards the North is the social norm. With anti-spy campaigns, street and hotel searches, and arrests of any suspect, citizens are urged to be vigilant and to report on any suspicious goings-on.