Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories by Kim Young-ha is a dark, razor-sharp, and brilliant work of contemporary South Korean fiction. Written by one of Korea’s most internationally acclaimed and versatile literary voices, the title novella is a chilling, darkly comedic psychological thriller that explores the terrifying fragility of memory and identity.
The story is written from the first-person perspective of Kim Byeong-su, a seventy-year-old retired serial killer. Byeong-su committed his last murder thirty years ago and has lived a quiet, unassuming life ever since, raising his adopted daughter, Eun-hui.
However, his life is thrown into complete chaos by two severe threats:
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The Internal Threat: Byeong-su has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His memories are rapidly dissolving, leaving him disoriented, forgetful, and desperately relying on a notebook and a tape recorder to keep track of his daily life, his identity, and his dark past.
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The External Threat: A new string of serial murders begins targeting young women in his neighborhood. Through a chance encounter, Byeong-su locks eyes with a man named Park Ju-tae and instantly recognizes the cold, unmistakable gaze of a fellow apex predator. Byeong-su is convinced that Ju-tae is the new killer—and things take a terrifying turn when Ju-tae begins dating Eun-hui.
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