Picture a contract killer. You’re probably envisioning a scary-looking, muscular man covered in tattoos... not the soft-middled elderly woman in a floral shirt carrying a shopping bag. And yet, that’s Mrs. Shim. After falling on hard times financially, Mrs. Shim answers a want ad that seems to be tailor-made for her – seeking an older housewife who can maintain confidentiality. Upon applying, she finds that the knife skills she’s honed while working at the butcher’s shop coincidentally bump her application to the top of the list. Smile Detective Agency makes her an offer she can’t refuse, and Mrs. Shim is off killing. Kang Jiyoung’s MRS. SHIM IS A KILLER follows fourteen distinct but interconnected perspectives as the ripple effect of Mrs. Shim’s new employ unfolds.
Korean literature often provides a biting commentary on the social and political struggles of the everyman. MRS. SHIM IS A KILLER delivers such perspective in spades – a job loss results in such financial despair that the only option is to murder for money and cover it up at all costs. Once Mrs. Shim is in for a penny, she's in for a pound, and she must continue killing lest she be killed. This absurdist domestic thriller is cleverly plotted and effectively translated – Kang Jiyoung intricately weaves each chapter together with visceral imagery that won’t soon be forgotten.
MRS. SHIM IS A KILLER won’t be for all readers. Some are likely to find that what is intended to read as darkly funny comes across as disturbing and outlandish. The novel is told from so many different perspectives that it makes the story confusing to follow at times. Most of these characters aren’t explored very deeply, which can make for a somewhat jerky read and a less- than-impactful conclusion.
On the whole, Kang Jiyoung is a fresh voice that is sure to leave a strong impression on a new Western audience. Readers who are drawn to thrillers or dark comedies like Squid Game or Parasite will find Kang Jiyoung’s MRS. SHIM IS A KILLER is a unique fusion of suspense, very dark comedy, and socio-emotional exploration. Those who are in search of a novel that breaks the mold will not be disappointed.
When a middle-aged widowed loses her job at the butcher shop, she’s at a loss as to how to provide for her family—until she’s offered a position that puts her carving skills to new uses in this darkly humorous bestselling Korean thriller.
Mrs. Shim needs money. She’s lost her husband and her job, and she's got three mouths to feed at her kitchen table. If she doesn't find work soon, she and her children are going to lose their home.
So when she answers a vague job ad for the Smile Detective Agency, Mrs. Shim expects the job will be some kind of cleaning position. But when they only ask her questions about her experience as a butcher and what she can do with a cleaver, she begins to realize they want her to do a very different kind of cleaning—they want her to be an assassin. Too scared not to take them up on their offer, she agrees to the position.
And Mrs. Shim soon finds that her new job isn’t so different from her old one in the butcher shop, quickly becoming the agency's best contract killer—but her rise to the top hasn’t gone unnoticed. Jealous of her talents, her agency’s competitors—and even her own colleagues-- begin pointing fingers (and knives) in her direction.
If she wants to keep her job, her family, and her reputation intact, Mrs. Shim is going to have to take out the secretive leader of a rival agency. But when she has the chance to strike, she's stunned to find a familiar face at the end of her blade.
As it turns out, this just may be one mess she can't cut her way out of . . .
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