In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected, a chance encounter that will shape both of their lives for over half a century.

Meanwhile, in the north of Korea, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school in the glamorous city of Pyongyang. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, they form a deep friendship. But before long, JungHo will be swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, while Jade becomes a celebrated performer pursued by a wealthy romantic prospect.

From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they shape the future of their nation. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviours, and beasts take many shapes.

Juhea Kim was born in In Cheon, Korea, and moved to Portland, Oregon, at age nine. Her writing has been published in Granta, Catapult, Joyland, Times Literary Supplement, The Independent, Zyzzyva, and elsewhere. She is the founder and editor of Peaceful Dumpling, an online magazine at the intersection of sustainable lifestyle and ecological literature. She earned her BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University. After a decade in New York City, Kim now lives in Portland, Oregon.