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Sublimation
Doppelgängers, corporate intrigue, heartbreak, betrayal, and the harsh permanence of the border: Sublimation is a thrilling and provocative debut for fans of Severance that asks what you'd sacrifice for a different life from award-winning author Isabel J. Kim.
The border cuts you in two.
When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.
Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.
She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.
How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?
The border cuts you in two.
When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.
Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.
She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.
How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2026
About the author
Isabel J. Kim
33 books140 followersIsabel J. Kim lives near New York City in an apartment filled with books and swords. She is the author of numerous short stories and has won the Nebula, Locus, BSFA and the Shirley Jackson Awards. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and reprinted in multiple best of the year anthologies. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing law or podcasting. Find her at isabel.kim, @isabel.kim on Bluesky, or @isabeljkim on instagram.
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️ What would you sacrifice for a different life?
The border cuts you in two.
In this world, you leave a copy of your self behind when you enter a new country. Some, choose to stay in contact with their copies, aka doppelgängers, while others never speak to their other selves again. Soyoung 'Rose' Kang chose to stay in America after leaving Korea at a young age but a tragic event calls her back home. What she doesn't know yet is that her other copy will try to steal her life and body back.
This book falls in the speculative fiction/sci-fi genre and this is Isabel J. Kims debut. It's making a lot of buzz amongst the sci-fi readers and possibly will turn into the next new sensation. I'm new to this genre, can't say I've read many books in this category. I can't believe this is a debut because the writing here was phenomenal. Kim is not new to writing, she has won a few awards for her short stories and I read somewhere that she is practicing law. She took the common core of biology, the process of mitosis (think splitting of a cell that produces genetically identical cells) and wrote an imaginative tale full of futuristic ideas and weaved complex themes of identity, immigration and impermanence of life into them. She's given so much thought to this idea of 'splitting' and how it would impact society, future generations, wars and our borders. Sublimation asks readers thought provoking questions that we probably asked ourselves a few times in our lifetime--what would you sacrifice for a different life? Can you lead two separate lives? Can we be someone else? Sublimation leaves no crumbs behind when it explores more intimate parts of ourselves--our hope, our desires, regrets.
This gem was packed with hard hitting themes of immigration, borders, homeland. Soyoung 'Rose' Kang split twenty years ago when her mother took a new job in the US, leaving Korea for good. Her 'instance' aka carbon copy, Soyoung remained with her biological mother at home in Korea. When their grandfather passes, 'Rose' returns to Korea and finds out that he left her the family home and that he wished for the two instances to re-integrate with each other. This becomes a challenging concern for both instances and serves as a catalyst that ignites the flame that moves the narrative forward. At the same time, we follow another linear story of the girls' childhood friends, YJ and his instance Yujin. They too, like Rose and Soyoung, split nearly 10 years ago with Yujin working for a STEM program while YJ becomes involved in the merge-break company responsible for the new mitosis fields that deal with re-integration processes. The two linear stories eventually converge in a climatic way and head into uncharted territories of emotional confrontation between the alternate selves. The central premise remains deeply rooted in process of emigration across a national border and it was quite a page turner.
This is a type of literary/speculative fiction that will make you think about choices, consequences and the 'what ifs'. What if another version of you/yourself lived a better life than you? What happens then and what would you do? How do you handle that knowledge or how do you move forward with your own life? What sacrifices would you make for a better life, a better self?
Narrators: Major Curda, Michelle H. Lee
Duration: 12 hours 47 minutes
Speed: 1.25x
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, Isabel J. Kim for an early ALC!
Publication date: June 2, 2026
The border cuts you in two.
In this world, you leave a copy of your self behind when you enter a new country. Some, choose to stay in contact with their copies, aka doppelgängers, while others never speak to their other selves again. Soyoung 'Rose' Kang chose to stay in America after leaving Korea at a young age but a tragic event calls her back home. What she doesn't know yet is that her other copy will try to steal her life and body back.
This book falls in the speculative fiction/sci-fi genre and this is Isabel J. Kims debut. It's making a lot of buzz amongst the sci-fi readers and possibly will turn into the next new sensation. I'm new to this genre, can't say I've read many books in this category. I can't believe this is a debut because the writing here was phenomenal. Kim is not new to writing, she has won a few awards for her short stories and I read somewhere that she is practicing law. She took the common core of biology, the process of mitosis (think splitting of a cell that produces genetically identical cells) and wrote an imaginative tale full of futuristic ideas and weaved complex themes of identity, immigration and impermanence of life into them. She's given so much thought to this idea of 'splitting' and how it would impact society, future generations, wars and our borders. Sublimation asks readers thought provoking questions that we probably asked ourselves a few times in our lifetime--what would you sacrifice for a different life? Can you lead two separate lives? Can we be someone else? Sublimation leaves no crumbs behind when it explores more intimate parts of ourselves--our hope, our desires, regrets.
This gem was packed with hard hitting themes of immigration, borders, homeland. Soyoung 'Rose' Kang split twenty years ago when her mother took a new job in the US, leaving Korea for good. Her 'instance' aka carbon copy, Soyoung remained with her biological mother at home in Korea. When their grandfather passes, 'Rose' returns to Korea and finds out that he left her the family home and that he wished for the two instances to re-integrate with each other. This becomes a challenging concern for both instances and serves as a catalyst that ignites the flame that moves the narrative forward. At the same time, we follow another linear story of the girls' childhood friends, YJ and his instance Yujin. They too, like Rose and Soyoung, split nearly 10 years ago with Yujin working for a STEM program while YJ becomes involved in the merge-break company responsible for the new mitosis fields that deal with re-integration processes. The two linear stories eventually converge in a climatic way and head into uncharted territories of emotional confrontation between the alternate selves. The central premise remains deeply rooted in process of emigration across a national border and it was quite a page turner.
This is a type of literary/speculative fiction that will make you think about choices, consequences and the 'what ifs'. What if another version of you/yourself lived a better life than you? What happens then and what would you do? How do you handle that knowledge or how do you move forward with your own life? What sacrifices would you make for a better life, a better self?
Narrators: Major Curda, Michelle H. Lee
Duration: 12 hours 47 minutes
Speed: 1.25x
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, Isabel J. Kim for an early ALC!
Publication date: June 2, 2026
Read
May 6, 2026I received this audiobook through NetGalley.
Sublimation is a reflective, identity-driven speculative sci-fi story with strong writing and a medium pace. I enjoyed the Seoul, Korea setting and the cultural differences woven into the story, which made it feel distinct from what I usually read.
The mystery around the doppelgängers kept me engaged, though the mechanics sometimes felt a little abstract and left me slightly ungrounded. Still, that fit the overall themes of identity, memory, and what it means to become different versions of yourself.
The dual narration was strong and flowed naturally. Both narrators did a great job, though there were a few later moments where the narration overlapped. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or a production issue, but it did pull me out.
Overall, this was a thoughtful, layered listen. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy reflective speculative fiction, identity themes, and stories that leave room for interpretation.
Sublimation is a reflective, identity-driven speculative sci-fi story with strong writing and a medium pace. I enjoyed the Seoul, Korea setting and the cultural differences woven into the story, which made it feel distinct from what I usually read.
The mystery around the doppelgängers kept me engaged, though the mechanics sometimes felt a little abstract and left me slightly ungrounded. Still, that fit the overall themes of identity, memory, and what it means to become different versions of yourself.
The dual narration was strong and flowed naturally. Both narrators did a great job, though there were a few later moments where the narration overlapped. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or a production issue, but it did pull me out.
Overall, this was a thoughtful, layered listen. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy reflective speculative fiction, identity themes, and stories that leave room for interpretation.
June 2, 2026
Happy release day to this excellent book!
//
6/1/26: I'll be back to revise this review a million times, but the book comes out tomorrow! I didn't read it right when I got the ARC, in large part because I was concussed and wanted to give it my full mental focus, and later because I was almost afraid that I wouldn't love it as much as I expected.
Now, however, I've read the book and want to come back on release week and celebrate how incredibly good and weird it is. I was worried that moving to novel length would mean that the story lost some of the essential Isabel J. Kim weirdness that I love so much in her short fiction, but no! The book is mostly in second person, with gorgeous fluidity about who's "you" at a given moment and shifts to third or first person that start to feel different and alien. There are interstitial folklore segments about everything from a Korean folk song to the Odyssey. People reflect about how they're made of meat (such a signature move that said "meat I mentioned" out loud to myself. This was a strange move, but so is the book (complimentary)).
Thematically, the narrative does magnificent work with a simple premise: in this world that's almost Earth, people sometimes split into two selves when they cross borders: one who goes to a new place, and one who stays behind. If they ever touch skin to skin later, they reintegrate back into one self, but until then, they have two separate lives. It's a fascinating window into personal desire and might-have-beens-- an instance is only created when a person thinks of their journey as finding a new home and future, not a temporary home, so sometimes the creation of another self reveals thoughts of leave-taking that a person hasn't known until that moment. I loved everything from the gnawing thoughts of whether a character's instance wants to reunite to the mundane details of two selves using each other as a sounding board for arguments.
If I have one tiny complaint, it's that the more "people should know this big secret" thriller elements are less weird, in that they could belong to another story. To me, lower and more specific stakes on that point would have played better with the personal character stakes-- but that's a preference point based in my general lukewarm response to thriller plots.
If I have compliments, I have a million, but I have to give particular congratulations to my favorite interstitial paragraph in the book, which has been haunting my thoughts constantly:
The re-imagining of folklore and religion in a world with instances is beautifully done, layering multiple versions of songs and stories together with the multiple selves who inhabit them. That story element could have been crafted for me in a lab, and I'm so glad it made the jump from the initial short story to the novel treatment.
Overall: this is my favorite debut novel I've seen in years, and I'm so excited to see what Isabel J. Kim writes next.
--
11/18/25: I just read the first POV segment last night, and waiting for the paper ARC in January/February so I can more fully engage with The Text (TM) is going to test my patience like nothing else. I (don't) apologize in advance for what a complete freak I'm going to be about this whole book. Second person writing? One great worldbuilding device with deep thematic implications? Emotions simmering just under the surface? She can't keep getting away with this.
--
The author's debut short story that this is based on absolutely slaps and you should read it immediately to acquaint yourself with this universe: "Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self"
I made a bunch of unhinged screaming noises when I saw the news that Isabel J. Kim had a book and media deal (Sci-Fi Novel ‘Sublimation’ Lands At Universal International Studios For TV Adaptation), but look, it's only because she's a genius and I have great taste.
Do we have a release date orany character names character details yet? Irrelevant. I can't wait to dive in.
//
6/1/26: I'll be back to revise this review a million times, but the book comes out tomorrow! I didn't read it right when I got the ARC, in large part because I was concussed and wanted to give it my full mental focus, and later because I was almost afraid that I wouldn't love it as much as I expected.
Now, however, I've read the book and want to come back on release week and celebrate how incredibly good and weird it is. I was worried that moving to novel length would mean that the story lost some of the essential Isabel J. Kim weirdness that I love so much in her short fiction, but no! The book is mostly in second person, with gorgeous fluidity about who's "you" at a given moment and shifts to third or first person that start to feel different and alien. There are interstitial folklore segments about everything from a Korean folk song to the Odyssey. People reflect about how they're made of meat (such a signature move that said "meat I mentioned" out loud to myself. This was a strange move, but so is the book (complimentary)).
Thematically, the narrative does magnificent work with a simple premise: in this world that's almost Earth, people sometimes split into two selves when they cross borders: one who goes to a new place, and one who stays behind. If they ever touch skin to skin later, they reintegrate back into one self, but until then, they have two separate lives. It's a fascinating window into personal desire and might-have-beens-- an instance is only created when a person thinks of their journey as finding a new home and future, not a temporary home, so sometimes the creation of another self reveals thoughts of leave-taking that a person hasn't known until that moment. I loved everything from the gnawing thoughts of whether a character's instance wants to reunite to the mundane details of two selves using each other as a sounding board for arguments.
If I have one tiny complaint, it's that the more "people should know this big secret" thriller elements are less weird, in that they could belong to another story. To me, lower and more specific stakes on that point would have played better with the personal character stakes-- but that's a preference point based in my general lukewarm response to thriller plots.
If I have compliments, I have a million, but I have to give particular congratulations to my favorite interstitial paragraph in the book, which has been haunting my thoughts constantly:
Odysseus, staring down the barrel of his past life, across the wine-dark sea. Nothing stops him, no gods, no monsters, no lovers, no ghosts of dead heroes or relatives, no enchanted feasts, no sirens, no sorceresses, no wayward crew. He going to get his life back. He is going to go back home.
The re-imagining of folklore and religion in a world with instances is beautifully done, layering multiple versions of songs and stories together with the multiple selves who inhabit them. That story element could have been crafted for me in a lab, and I'm so glad it made the jump from the initial short story to the novel treatment.
Overall: this is my favorite debut novel I've seen in years, and I'm so excited to see what Isabel J. Kim writes next.
--
11/18/25: I just read the first POV segment last night, and waiting for the paper ARC in January/February so I can more fully engage with The Text (TM) is going to test my patience like nothing else. I (don't) apologize in advance for what a complete freak I'm going to be about this whole book. Second person writing? One great worldbuilding device with deep thematic implications? Emotions simmering just under the surface? She can't keep getting away with this.
--
The author's debut short story that this is based on absolutely slaps and you should read it immediately to acquaint yourself with this universe: "Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self"
I made a bunch of unhinged screaming noises when I saw the news that Isabel J. Kim had a book and media deal (Sci-Fi Novel ‘Sublimation’ Lands At Universal International Studios For TV Adaptation), but look, it's only because she's a genius and I have great taste.
The book is set in a world where a process called “instancing” splits a person into two distinct copies: one who migrates and one who remains. The story unfolds when a woman who migrated returns to Seoul and must face her other self, while her childhood friend’s New York self draws her into a conspiracy to control the future of instancing, bringing both versions of him back into her life with global repercussions.
Do we have a release date or
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Womp dnf-ed at 76%. Short rtc
✶⋆.˚
pre-read : another approved anticipated release!! ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡
✶⋆.˚
pre-read : another approved anticipated release!! ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡
Read
April 24, 2025A big thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC of the book for a blurb!!
SUBLIMATION is an odyssey of choices and regrets, of people who would be and never were but also are, all at once, exploring immigration and separation, diaspora and the resulting split identities of cultural interweaving—both willing and unwilling. Kim masterfully blends the experimental and straight forward, jarring yet familiar, philosophical and theoretical, while exanimating placelessness and fractured identity through multilayered narratives. I have never felt more seen by a book in my life.
SUBLIMATION is an odyssey of choices and regrets, of people who would be and never were but also are, all at once, exploring immigration and separation, diaspora and the resulting split identities of cultural interweaving—both willing and unwilling. Kim masterfully blends the experimental and straight forward, jarring yet familiar, philosophical and theoretical, while exanimating placelessness and fractured identity through multilayered narratives. I have never felt more seen by a book in my life.
December 12, 2025
This was an absolute joy to read.
If you haven’t read the short story it’s based on, I highly recommend checking it out. If you like it, it’ll get you excited for the novel. If not…well, it’s a good representation of the style https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_...
This book does a wonderful job digging into the personal character moments. The second-person keeps the reader close while also providing something of a dislocation effect, as it stars characters who are constantly wondering whether their lives would’ve been better if they’d taken the other branch of big life decisions. It’s that internal turmoil that provides the biggest interpersonal conflicts and the true emotional heart of the story.
There’s also a thriller plot that builds over the course of the story and takes center stage in the fourth act. I’m personally biased against thriller plots, so your mileage may vary, but I don’t think it’s exceptional here—it struggles to motivate the kind of world-shaking stakes that the characters feel it has.
That said…the quality of the writing and the interpersonal conflict is good enough to make this a five-star read even if the thriller element isn’t top-tier. The climax hits the character notes hard enough that it never feels like they drop into the background, even as the story gets plottier.
It’s a very good book, and an even better debut. I wish I had done a better job of reviewing it. Perhaps I’ll clean this up and try again later. But right now, I’m adding my recommendation to the stack.
17/20
If you haven’t read the short story it’s based on, I highly recommend checking it out. If you like it, it’ll get you excited for the novel. If not…well, it’s a good representation of the style https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_...
This book does a wonderful job digging into the personal character moments. The second-person keeps the reader close while also providing something of a dislocation effect, as it stars characters who are constantly wondering whether their lives would’ve been better if they’d taken the other branch of big life decisions. It’s that internal turmoil that provides the biggest interpersonal conflicts and the true emotional heart of the story.
There’s also a thriller plot that builds over the course of the story and takes center stage in the fourth act. I’m personally biased against thriller plots, so your mileage may vary, but I don’t think it’s exceptional here—it struggles to motivate the kind of world-shaking stakes that the characters feel it has.
That said…the quality of the writing and the interpersonal conflict is good enough to make this a five-star read even if the thriller element isn’t top-tier. The climax hits the character notes hard enough that it never feels like they drop into the background, even as the story gets plottier.
It’s a very good book, and an even better debut. I wish I had done a better job of reviewing it. Perhaps I’ll clean this up and try again later. But right now, I’m adding my recommendation to the stack.
17/20
2026
November 14, 2025ANHPI TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books
Read
May 16, 202605/2026 — I HAVE FINISHED THIS!!! When I first heard about this book at the New York Comic Con Tor event, I thought this would be an instant 5 stars. Severance x the immigration crisis?? In which your person severs (or "instances") whenever you cross borders if two parts of you are warring over whether to stay or leave? So ther one version of you goes and the other stays - but you both have the same memories and foundation until the point you instance.
Brilliant. Such a unique concept!
Now, I enjoyed the overall story but I LOVED the reflective tidbits woven between the storytelling. The reflections on how in an instancing world, our mythical stories would be drastically different (think: Odysseus), politics and shared borders would become much more complex (think: DMZ), and even our religious beliefs would be transformed (think: biblical stories).
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Tor for the e-ARC!
Having both was extremely useful for this whirlwind of a book!
——
10/2025 I’m at NY ComicCon and they brought this book up at a TOR panel and holy hell I AM SO SAT. They pitched it as severance x immigration, so when you emigrate, you essentially sever yourself into two: the person you are in your birth country and person you become in your country of destination. !!! INCREDIBLE !!!
Brilliant. Such a unique concept!
Now, I enjoyed the overall story but I LOVED the reflective tidbits woven between the storytelling. The reflections on how in an instancing world, our mythical stories would be drastically different (think: Odysseus), politics and shared borders would become much more complex (think: DMZ), and even our religious beliefs would be transformed (think: biblical stories).
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Tor for the e-ARC!
Having both was extremely useful for this whirlwind of a book!
——
10/2025 I’m at NY ComicCon and they brought this book up at a TOR panel and holy hell I AM SO SAT. They pitched it as severance x immigration, so when you emigrate, you essentially sever yourself into two: the person you are in your birth country and person you become in your country of destination. !!! INCREDIBLE !!!
Did Not Finish
May 11, 2026It's just not for me.
May 29, 2026
RTC
This will 100% not be a book for everyone, even if the premise sounds interesting, but it was 10000000% for me, both of them.
This will 100% not be a book for everyone, even if the premise sounds interesting, but it was 10000000% for me, both of them.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
holy sh*t this book is good
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
DNF pg. 152
I loved the concept of this one (because I loved Severance), but the plot felt like pulling teeth. I learned afterward that this novel is based on a short story written by the same author, and while I don't plan on reading it, I know without a doubt it would have worked far better in the shorter format. This was also told in the second-person narrative, which has never been my ideal narrative type.
I think the oddest part was the inclusion of snippets from the Odyssey. The author names these "separate" individuals, the parts of themselves that split when they choose to immigrate; these are called instances. Within the text of the Odyssey, there is a reference to "instances," and the author warps the text to make it as if instances have been a thing since ancient Greece, and that Odysseus himself had created an instance between the Iliad and the Odyssey. It could have been a clever addition; however, it felt too disjointed from the author's actual story.
I loved the concept of this one (because I loved Severance), but the plot felt like pulling teeth. I learned afterward that this novel is based on a short story written by the same author, and while I don't plan on reading it, I know without a doubt it would have worked far better in the shorter format. This was also told in the second-person narrative, which has never been my ideal narrative type.
I think the oddest part was the inclusion of snippets from the Odyssey. The author names these "separate" individuals, the parts of themselves that split when they choose to immigrate; these are called instances. Within the text of the Odyssey, there is a reference to "instances," and the author warps the text to make it as if instances have been a thing since ancient Greece, and that Odysseus himself had created an instance between the Iliad and the Odyssey. It could have been a clever addition; however, it felt too disjointed from the author's actual story.
May 15, 2026
This book made me slowdown in the best possible way.
I’m a very fast reader, but I found myself constantly pausing to think about the concepts of instances and sublimation. The premise alone is incredibly compelling, but the execution made it even stronger.
The characters felt fully realized, and the emotional weight behind the choices and identities explored in the story really stayed with me.
Such a cool, thought-provoking concept, and one I know I will revisit. I am already looking forward to adding a physical copy to my library when it releases.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my honest review.
I’m a very fast reader, but I found myself constantly pausing to think about the concepts of instances and sublimation. The premise alone is incredibly compelling, but the execution made it even stronger.
The characters felt fully realized, and the emotional weight behind the choices and identities explored in the story really stayed with me.
Such a cool, thought-provoking concept, and one I know I will revisit. I am already looking forward to adding a physical copy to my library when it releases.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my honest review.
May 29, 2026
4.5/5⭐️ "When your country is cracked in half and controlled by foreign powers, when your country is being mismanaged by a corrupt government, when you are escaping gang violence, when your minority group is part of a targeted genocide, then you worry about other things. You worry about any version of yourself getting out. You hope any versions of your children survive."
Sublimation is a powerful speculative fiction/scifi techno thriller where when people immigrate to another country they create an "instance" which is a duplicate self. This duplicate self is you, your heritage, your looks, and your memories until the paths of your lives and your choices change the two of you. It is explained differently in each culture. "The sibling-self, the changeling, and the one-who-does-not-return".
This story is broken up into five parts. The first part is admittedly slow but this is where the stage is set for the rest of the book. Once I got about 20-25% into this story, I couldn't put it down. The author does a fantastic job of capturing the immigrant experience, corporate culture, and longing for homeland. I loved the added snippets about Korean folklore, The Odyssey, and The Bible that are shaped to fit the narrative of a world with instances and foreshadow upcoming parts of the book and add tension to certain scenes.
I read 65% of the book with my physical ARC and read most of the rest with the audiobook (because I was busy but did not want to stop reading). The narrators are used in SUCH a cool way towards the end of the book (I can't explain more without spoilers) but I definitely think it added another level of experience for the reader.
While this book was certainly my cup of tea, it is not going to be for everyone. The writing style is unique and at times choppy but purposefully so. It is written in second person POV which is also going to be jarring for some readers. It also leans more speculative/scifi with lots of political and immigration commentary with the "thriller vibes" not really picking up towards the end.
I believe if you enjoyed Blake Crouch's or Thomas R. Weaver's work and can take the time to appreciate a slower unraveling in a story then you will love this too!
Thank you Tor and Macmillan Audio for the eARC, physical ARC, and ALC!
Sublimation is a powerful speculative fiction/scifi techno thriller where when people immigrate to another country they create an "instance" which is a duplicate self. This duplicate self is you, your heritage, your looks, and your memories until the paths of your lives and your choices change the two of you. It is explained differently in each culture. "The sibling-self, the changeling, and the one-who-does-not-return".
This story is broken up into five parts. The first part is admittedly slow but this is where the stage is set for the rest of the book. Once I got about 20-25% into this story, I couldn't put it down. The author does a fantastic job of capturing the immigrant experience, corporate culture, and longing for homeland. I loved the added snippets about Korean folklore, The Odyssey, and The Bible that are shaped to fit the narrative of a world with instances and foreshadow upcoming parts of the book and add tension to certain scenes.
I read 65% of the book with my physical ARC and read most of the rest with the audiobook (because I was busy but did not want to stop reading). The narrators are used in SUCH a cool way towards the end of the book (I can't explain more without spoilers) but I definitely think it added another level of experience for the reader.
While this book was certainly my cup of tea, it is not going to be for everyone. The writing style is unique and at times choppy but purposefully so. It is written in second person POV which is also going to be jarring for some readers. It also leans more speculative/scifi with lots of political and immigration commentary with the "thriller vibes" not really picking up towards the end.
I believe if you enjoyed Blake Crouch's or Thomas R. Weaver's work and can take the time to appreciate a slower unraveling in a story then you will love this too!
Thank you Tor and Macmillan Audio for the eARC, physical ARC, and ALC!
Did Not Finish
May 23, 2026Unfortunately, this one didn't fully work for me. I requested it because the premise is SO GOOD, I still love it, but the execution failed to fulfill its potential. I got to 34%, so I gave it a good try, but this just failed to maintain my attention. I liked the first part a lot. I was very intrigued by Soyoung and Rose, and I was very curious about where things would go with them. I liked the introspective, more character-focused nature of the first part.
It loses me when we switch perspectives to another character, and it starts to dive into "thriller" territory. The interest I had in the story weakened and weakened, and my mind started glazing over it. I tried to lock back in several times, but it didn't work. That's when I knew I had to stop because I have so many other books to read; it doesn't make sense to push myself to finish a story I no longer care about.
Personally, this would've worked a lot better if it focused only on Soyoung and Rose. I don't feel like this needed to dive into a techno-thriller to be interesting. Soyoung and Rose, and the themes of identity, belonging, immigration, etc., were already compelling on their own. This would've even been great as a novella, shorter and punchier.
I did enjoy Isabel J. Kim's prose, and I think she has a strong perspective, so I will keep an eye on any other books she comes up with. As a debut, I think this was ambitious (complimentary), and I see a lot of people loving it, which is amazing. I wanted to be one of those people, but this isn't the version of the story that got me there. I still recommend checking it out because this has a really great concept.
Thanks to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and Picador for the early access to this ebook.
It loses me when we switch perspectives to another character, and it starts to dive into "thriller" territory. The interest I had in the story weakened and weakened, and my mind started glazing over it. I tried to lock back in several times, but it didn't work. That's when I knew I had to stop because I have so many other books to read; it doesn't make sense to push myself to finish a story I no longer care about.
Personally, this would've worked a lot better if it focused only on Soyoung and Rose. I don't feel like this needed to dive into a techno-thriller to be interesting. Soyoung and Rose, and the themes of identity, belonging, immigration, etc., were already compelling on their own. This would've even been great as a novella, shorter and punchier.
I did enjoy Isabel J. Kim's prose, and I think she has a strong perspective, so I will keep an eye on any other books she comes up with. As a debut, I think this was ambitious (complimentary), and I see a lot of people loving it, which is amazing. I wanted to be one of those people, but this isn't the version of the story that got me there. I still recommend checking it out because this has a really great concept.
Thanks to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and Picador for the early access to this ebook.
May 15, 2026
An absolutely stunning debut sci-fi novel! In Sublimation — when you enter a new country (either for travel or to move there) you run the risk of “instancing” where you will leave a copy of yourself behind in the country you leave. Your instance lives and makes memories as a wholly separate person and can communicate with you like a dear friend or a horrid enemy. I absolutely loved the premise and I felt myself pausing to contemplate the text multiple times throughout.
The structure is extremely unique and I fear this is where some readers may not enjoy it. There are many passages that are written in second person POV and although I felt this added so much, I can see where other readers may not connect there.
4.5 stars rounded up. I can not wait to read more from this author in the future!
Thank you TOR for the ARC in exchange for my review.
The structure is extremely unique and I fear this is where some readers may not enjoy it. There are many passages that are written in second person POV and although I felt this added so much, I can see where other readers may not connect there.
4.5 stars rounded up. I can not wait to read more from this author in the future!
Thank you TOR for the ARC in exchange for my review.
Read
May 11, 2026Dnf @ 70%
Setting: us and South Korea
Rep: Korean-American cast and author
I'm just finding this too hard to follow or care about tbh, it feels like there's a link missing
Setting: us and South Korea
Rep: Korean-American cast and author
I'm just finding this too hard to follow or care about tbh, it feels like there's a link missing
Did Not Finish
May 9, 2026Too slow and confusing for me. DNF at 25%
April 27, 2026
Wow, this was such a strange concept, but you can tell that it was born of something that people really think about. What if the you who would have stayed in a particular place was that far removed from the you who left? And I love the way the world building of the story heavily implies that this has always happened, and that even in the Odyssey and the Bible people leave copies of themselves if they’re leaving a place.
January 3, 2026
4.5/5
this is one of the most unique book concepts i have ever had the pleasure of reading, so thank you to TOR and the author for allowing me to ARC read it.
this book dealt in the controversial and hot button issue of human migration, but made it digestible through a multi-tonal lens—this was a lecture and a retelling of myth as much as it was a linear storyline. this format choice as an approach to understanding such a dense topic really helped write home the themes of identity and exploration of the self in intersection with diaspora in a cross-genre capacity, which felt entirely nuanced. the world as an instanced version of itself takes a LOT of world building and science info dumping to understand, so unveiling that info in small bits chapter by chapter as is convenient for the storyline was a creative way to help the reader grasp the changes between our world and the book’s in a way that didn’t overwhelm. our main characters were raw and unfiltered, even verging on unlikable at times, as a strong commentary on the human condition, internal conflict, and the impact of choice. i have always appreciated books surrounding the dismantling of corporate overlords and corrupt government organizations by way of subterfuge and whistleblowing, and this book definitely hit the nail on the head there. there wasn’t much i didn’t love about this one outside of the slow start. it took me a while to really lock in and care about the characters as they were being presented and to feel like i knew and cared about them. it wasn’t until we got to know YJ better that i felt like the story really started for me, and i almost wish he/yujin would have been our introductory main characters instead of soyoung/rose as i found them a little one-toned.
i really loved this one and think it’s going to be massive once it releases in june. very high hopes for isabel j kim in her debut novel—this one definitely impressed!
this is one of the most unique book concepts i have ever had the pleasure of reading, so thank you to TOR and the author for allowing me to ARC read it.
this book dealt in the controversial and hot button issue of human migration, but made it digestible through a multi-tonal lens—this was a lecture and a retelling of myth as much as it was a linear storyline. this format choice as an approach to understanding such a dense topic really helped write home the themes of identity and exploration of the self in intersection with diaspora in a cross-genre capacity, which felt entirely nuanced. the world as an instanced version of itself takes a LOT of world building and science info dumping to understand, so unveiling that info in small bits chapter by chapter as is convenient for the storyline was a creative way to help the reader grasp the changes between our world and the book’s in a way that didn’t overwhelm. our main characters were raw and unfiltered, even verging on unlikable at times, as a strong commentary on the human condition, internal conflict, and the impact of choice. i have always appreciated books surrounding the dismantling of corporate overlords and corrupt government organizations by way of subterfuge and whistleblowing, and this book definitely hit the nail on the head there. there wasn’t much i didn’t love about this one outside of the slow start. it took me a while to really lock in and care about the characters as they were being presented and to feel like i knew and cared about them. it wasn’t until we got to know YJ better that i felt like the story really started for me, and i almost wish he/yujin would have been our introductory main characters instead of soyoung/rose as i found them a little one-toned.
i really loved this one and think it’s going to be massive once it releases in june. very high hopes for isabel j kim in her debut novel—this one definitely impressed!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
WOW!!!!! Hooked from the first page and read this book in one sitting… Full of tension and suspense. A real page turner, a domestic noir but OMG so much more!!!!
May 27, 2026
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
Go into acclaimed speculative author Isabel J. Kim’s debut novel with the right expectations to get the most out of SUBLIMATION. This is a literary sci-fi novel that will best appeal to readers who love literary fiction and appreciate deeply interior stories.
I love the instancing concept. Imagine if, every time you desire to emigrate or make into a home that which was not your first home, a version of yourself splits off, so that one of you is able to stay behind while the other goes to live that new life. What would that world look like in terms of things like immigration, citizenship, social media presence? Kim does a convincing job of imagining said world for us.
But the speculative world that the characters inhabit is not the main focus here. That would be on the internal struggles of the main character(s), childhood friends Soyoung and Yujin, each of whom have an instance who lives in the US. Half of each pair wants to reintegrate, which can be done by making skin-to-skin contact with your instance. The other half want to remain separate. Who will win out? There seem to be no good answers here.
At its heart, SUBLIMATION is a story about emigration/migration and the ways that those desires and what-ifs inform our identity. If you’ve read a lot of diaspora and immigrant stories, Soyoung and Yujin’s internal conflicts may be a bit disappointingly familiar, as they struggle to incorporate their various desires and experiences within themselves. I was certainly hoping for something a bit more novel.
It didn’t help that I never really ended up liking any of the (four?) main characters or deeply understanding them. It’s a challenging story premise to work with, making two pairs of characters distinct enough in their voices, thinking, and desires. Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy the time I spent with them. Both Soyoung-Rose and Yujin-YJ are a bit selfish, a bit passive, a bit afraid. That’s… fine, I guess—they are human, after all—but I didn’t feel like there was much difference in the voices of Soyoung and Rose, and Yujin and YJ. So it was like four times as much navel-gazing, but not four times the payoff.
With such a cool premise, SUBLIMATION could have gone in many different directions. However, Kim chose to use it to explore familiar themes of geographical/identity displacement, migration, and longing. The speculative aspect cedes center stage to the characters’ internal turmoil. This read more lit fic than sci-fi for me.
Go into acclaimed speculative author Isabel J. Kim’s debut novel with the right expectations to get the most out of SUBLIMATION. This is a literary sci-fi novel that will best appeal to readers who love literary fiction and appreciate deeply interior stories.
I love the instancing concept. Imagine if, every time you desire to emigrate or make into a home that which was not your first home, a version of yourself splits off, so that one of you is able to stay behind while the other goes to live that new life. What would that world look like in terms of things like immigration, citizenship, social media presence? Kim does a convincing job of imagining said world for us.
But the speculative world that the characters inhabit is not the main focus here. That would be on the internal struggles of the main character(s), childhood friends Soyoung and Yujin, each of whom have an instance who lives in the US. Half of each pair wants to reintegrate, which can be done by making skin-to-skin contact with your instance. The other half want to remain separate. Who will win out? There seem to be no good answers here.
At its heart, SUBLIMATION is a story about emigration/migration and the ways that those desires and what-ifs inform our identity. If you’ve read a lot of diaspora and immigrant stories, Soyoung and Yujin’s internal conflicts may be a bit disappointingly familiar, as they struggle to incorporate their various desires and experiences within themselves. I was certainly hoping for something a bit more novel.
It didn’t help that I never really ended up liking any of the (four?) main characters or deeply understanding them. It’s a challenging story premise to work with, making two pairs of characters distinct enough in their voices, thinking, and desires. Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy the time I spent with them. Both Soyoung-Rose and Yujin-YJ are a bit selfish, a bit passive, a bit afraid. That’s… fine, I guess—they are human, after all—but I didn’t feel like there was much difference in the voices of Soyoung and Rose, and Yujin and YJ. So it was like four times as much navel-gazing, but not four times the payoff.
With such a cool premise, SUBLIMATION could have gone in many different directions. However, Kim chose to use it to explore familiar themes of geographical/identity displacement, migration, and longing. The speculative aspect cedes center stage to the characters’ internal turmoil. This read more lit fic than sci-fi for me.
June 3, 2026
Thank you to Macmillian Audio for the advanced listener copy of this debut novel. This is being advertised as science fiction, but I think it should definitely be marketed as speculative fiction to set the correct expectations. This is a character driven novel that explores the immigrant experience in a very unique way. There is very little science involved. It is told in second person pov, which I think was absolutley the correct choice and done well.
The author has created a world in which people are duplicated when they leave a location that holds significant value to them, allowing an instance to stay while the original leaves. These separate beings hold separate lives entirely, but can be combined again by physical touch. We follow two characters that have both split with one version of their self living in America and another in Korea.
The audio was done really well. When characters were separating or combining consciousness you could understand each voice despite them talking at the same time. I don't know how this will be shown in the physical book and still have the same impact so I definitely recommend doing the audio version.
3.5 ⭐️
The author has created a world in which people are duplicated when they leave a location that holds significant value to them, allowing an instance to stay while the original leaves. These separate beings hold separate lives entirely, but can be combined again by physical touch. We follow two characters that have both split with one version of their self living in America and another in Korea.
The audio was done really well. When characters were separating or combining consciousness you could understand each voice despite them talking at the same time. I don't know how this will be shown in the physical book and still have the same impact so I definitely recommend doing the audio version.
3.5 ⭐️
May 27, 2026
Thank you TOR Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC.
An interesting story with an in depth look at what it looks like if you were split into 2 different people with 2 different lives.
First of all, I want to say just how unique this book is. I loved how the author’s brain worked in order to bring this story to life. 10/10 on the creativity scale!
When I first started this, I was immediately intrigued. Who is Soyoung? Who is Rose? We get to read the story from each of their perspective’s. I went into this almost blind, knowing a small snippet of what to expect, but mostly just that it’s a science fiction. It kind of read like a literary drama at the start. I was really wondering where this story was going to go. But when it hits, it really hits! I blew through the middle of the story really fast.
Also later in the story we get to know even more about Yujin and his other instance YJ. I enjoyed reading about both of them as well.
As the story went along, I found myself trying to predict what would happen. I can’t say I predicted it exactly, but I could see some of it coming. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. The ending was fast paced and the characters were portrayed in a neat way.
There were some little metaphorical stories along the way as you read the book, that really made you wonder too. I liked that. Some went over my head a little, but it was a cool way of connecting the story as well.
If you’re looking for a really unique science fiction story that makes you think, this book does that! I loved getting to know these characters. All sides of them. It was a neat reading experience!
An interesting story with an in depth look at what it looks like if you were split into 2 different people with 2 different lives.
First of all, I want to say just how unique this book is. I loved how the author’s brain worked in order to bring this story to life. 10/10 on the creativity scale!
When I first started this, I was immediately intrigued. Who is Soyoung? Who is Rose? We get to read the story from each of their perspective’s. I went into this almost blind, knowing a small snippet of what to expect, but mostly just that it’s a science fiction. It kind of read like a literary drama at the start. I was really wondering where this story was going to go. But when it hits, it really hits! I blew through the middle of the story really fast.
Also later in the story we get to know even more about Yujin and his other instance YJ. I enjoyed reading about both of them as well.
As the story went along, I found myself trying to predict what would happen. I can’t say I predicted it exactly, but I could see some of it coming. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. The ending was fast paced and the characters were portrayed in a neat way.
There were some little metaphorical stories along the way as you read the book, that really made you wonder too. I liked that. Some went over my head a little, but it was a cool way of connecting the story as well.
If you’re looking for a really unique science fiction story that makes you think, this book does that! I loved getting to know these characters. All sides of them. It was a neat reading experience!
April 16, 2026
Wild ride. Absolutely dug this crazy story. The premise certainly had some SEVERANCE vibes but I absolutely loved how (a) it wasn’t really like that at all and (b) how fleshed out this world was. Great world-building and done in a way that never felt like information dumps for the sake of it. Super cool.
Fun story. I think people are gonna love this book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
8.5/10
Fun story. I think people are gonna love this book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
8.5/10
Did Not Finish
May 20, 2026I’m sorry but I couldn’t get through this. I made it to 20 % before giving up. The plot sounded good when I read it but when I actually started reading I found myself wanting to skip parts. That being said, If you don’t mind a slower pace then this could be the book for you. The writing was strong!
Did Not Finish
May 8, 2026DNF at 45%. I found myself turning the speed up to 2.5x and that’s a sign I’m just not loving it. So I’m going to DNF
May 8, 2026
Sublimation is a speculative novel that uses a high-concept premise to ask deeply human questions about identity, regret, immigration, and the often unbearable weight of unrealized lives. The idea of leaving a literal living breathing version of yourself behind when immigrating is immediately compelling. Kim doesn't treat the concept as a gimmick. Instead, she explores the emotional and psychological fractures that come from living divided across countries, cultures, and possibilities. What stood out most for me was the intimacy of the narration. The prose creates a strange closeness while still upholding a sense of alienation, perfectly reflecting the characters' fractured sense of self. Rose's return to Korea becomes not a homecoming but a confrontation with who she could have been and the life she abandoned, quite literally face to face. The tension between her two selves is unsettling in a way that feels very personal and also incredibly existential. While the novel starts to eventually veer into thriller territory, the emotional core never gets lost beneath the plot mechanics and revelations. Kim keeps the focus on longing, resentment, and the complicated grief of leaving your home country and reinvention. Even at the most suspenseful parts, Sublimation remains emotionally resonant. Sharp, thought-provoking, and emotionally devastating, this is an incredibly impressive work. Thank you Tor Books for sending me a copy for review. Fans of Severance and Dark Matter would be a great fit for this novel. You can pick it up when it publishes June 02, 2026 wherever you buy your books. Also keep an eye out for a longer form review from me over on The Fandomentals soon!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC.
Sublimation, by Isabel J. Kim, is set in the present day, in a world we recognise, but with one major difference. In Kim’s created world, humans have always possessed the ability to ‘instance,’ to become two people, or more.
The novel initially focuses on Soyoung, who was born in Korea. As a child, she and her mother ‘instanced,’ and Soyoung’s instance, known as Rose, went to live in America. Since then, Rose and Soyoung have had no communication, living their lives in different cultures, and yet they share a childhood and all its memories. It is the death of their grandfather, Harbeoji which brings Rose back to Seoul. Harbeoji’s dying wish was that Soyoung and Rose ‘reintegrate,’ become one person again. This first section alternates between the voices of Soyoung and Rose, which are written in the 2nd person, giving a sense of intimacy, blurring of the boundaries between the two women. When the narrator refers themselves as ‘you,’ do they mean themselves, or their instance?
The story flows easily, arranged in short scenes, nuggets of encounters and thoughts, the writing elegant and nuanced. There are scattered paragraphs explaining how ‘instancing’ has always existed, how it ‘captures a static moment.’ … ‘The heart at the moment of stepping over a border.’ The writing evokes a sense of longing for a part of oneself that is lost. There is a sense of ‘sliding doors,’ what would have happened ‘if you had not gone, or had not stayed... A whole other life being lived by someone who is you.’
The theme feels very much of the moment – when we leave our homeland who do we become? What does it mean to be separated from yourself, literally and metaphorically. We learn that America, Rose’s adopted home, is populated by instances, who were made legal in 1776, at a time when it was assumed that they would stay and populate this continent. As the novel progresses, we gradually learn more about how instancing has evolved through history and culture. Kim does this with a lightness of touch, almost on a ‘need to know’ basis, inserting short paragraphs into the middle of scenes.
The story is woven through with references to folktales, handed down through the generations, as well as classical and Christian references. There is the story of a ‘returned’ fisherman, re-appearing to find his place has been taken by his other self. To destroy him might mean self-destruction. It is suggested that only by leaving can Odysseus return home a decade later and become himself, embracing his own faults. The story of Adam and Eve is referenced. These fragments of tales become more frequent as the story progresses, heightening certain moments with a significance, giving the reader an awareness of what is at stake for the characters. On one hand this can feel manipulative, even academic, but on the other, it allows us time to absorb the significance of what is happening, an awareness of the shifting layers. We are given various endings, how the stories might be interpreted, but ultimately these tales are inconclusive. Always we return the sense of something lost, a price paid for anything gained.
Later, we learn more about Soyoung’s childhood friend Yujin, and his instance YJ, again one in Korea the other in America. YJ works for Merge Break, one of the growing numbers of tech companies invested in the instance industry. YJ wants Yujin to have the option of YJ’s life, a green card, Dual Citizenship. They talk regularly, have a close bond. But we learn of chilling scenarios – the story of two instances – one a holocaust survivor, who is pushed off a roof by his instance, who cannot bear to live with the holocaust memories. YJ has two grandfathers, one in North Korea, the other in the South – who was ‘disappeared’ by the Korean government. There is a sense of the fragmented self, magnified by history.
Instancing has, so far, been an act of self will. This raises question of who owns the memories if an instance reintegrates? This is an echo of subjects that preoccupy us today, such as AI and intellectual property. The story touches on much that is significant in our world at a time of division and uncertainty – immigration, citizenship, borders, our sense of self, identity, belonging. How we delineate our world. Kim argues that the borders, artificial or not are “…a social technology, that creates emotional reality, that creates a physical reality.”
The pace and tension of the story speeds up when we learn about new technology which will open up possibilities for the control of instancing and reintegration, raising crucial questions about our right as individuals to exist in a place of our choosing. Our definitions of freedom.
Overall, the layering of characters into different ‘selves’ does mean that there are complicated concepts to grapple with and at times I found it difficult to fully empathise with characters that were split into different personalities. However, the elegant, lyrical writing, arranged in short vignettes makes the path generally easy to follow, even when it seems to meander and divert. However, as the implications of the developing technology around instancing forces events forward, the focus starts to feel fragmented. There are many questions, and there were times when it felt that these questions were too numerous to be corralled into any kind of answer. The understanding of what it is that essentially forms a person became scattered. I found it difficult to connect and empathise with characters who are in pieces.
On one level I appreciate the inconclusive style of this novel. ‘Instancing’ is portrayed as a physical reality of something that is psychological and relevant to us all. But in the world Kim has created, I questioned whether this physical manifestation would have had a greater impact on how we developed as a society. In Kim’s world, Humankind seems to have easily absorbed all the repercussions of this self-splitting. Surely it would have had a greater effect on how we view borders, societal divisions, and our awareness of our own self? This is not to say that Kim does not explore these questions, and it is this exploration, together with the beautiful writing, which makes this a fascinating and pleasurable read.
Sublimation, by Isabel J. Kim, is set in the present day, in a world we recognise, but with one major difference. In Kim’s created world, humans have always possessed the ability to ‘instance,’ to become two people, or more.
The novel initially focuses on Soyoung, who was born in Korea. As a child, she and her mother ‘instanced,’ and Soyoung’s instance, known as Rose, went to live in America. Since then, Rose and Soyoung have had no communication, living their lives in different cultures, and yet they share a childhood and all its memories. It is the death of their grandfather, Harbeoji which brings Rose back to Seoul. Harbeoji’s dying wish was that Soyoung and Rose ‘reintegrate,’ become one person again. This first section alternates between the voices of Soyoung and Rose, which are written in the 2nd person, giving a sense of intimacy, blurring of the boundaries between the two women. When the narrator refers themselves as ‘you,’ do they mean themselves, or their instance?
The story flows easily, arranged in short scenes, nuggets of encounters and thoughts, the writing elegant and nuanced. There are scattered paragraphs explaining how ‘instancing’ has always existed, how it ‘captures a static moment.’ … ‘The heart at the moment of stepping over a border.’ The writing evokes a sense of longing for a part of oneself that is lost. There is a sense of ‘sliding doors,’ what would have happened ‘if you had not gone, or had not stayed... A whole other life being lived by someone who is you.’
The theme feels very much of the moment – when we leave our homeland who do we become? What does it mean to be separated from yourself, literally and metaphorically. We learn that America, Rose’s adopted home, is populated by instances, who were made legal in 1776, at a time when it was assumed that they would stay and populate this continent. As the novel progresses, we gradually learn more about how instancing has evolved through history and culture. Kim does this with a lightness of touch, almost on a ‘need to know’ basis, inserting short paragraphs into the middle of scenes.
The story is woven through with references to folktales, handed down through the generations, as well as classical and Christian references. There is the story of a ‘returned’ fisherman, re-appearing to find his place has been taken by his other self. To destroy him might mean self-destruction. It is suggested that only by leaving can Odysseus return home a decade later and become himself, embracing his own faults. The story of Adam and Eve is referenced. These fragments of tales become more frequent as the story progresses, heightening certain moments with a significance, giving the reader an awareness of what is at stake for the characters. On one hand this can feel manipulative, even academic, but on the other, it allows us time to absorb the significance of what is happening, an awareness of the shifting layers. We are given various endings, how the stories might be interpreted, but ultimately these tales are inconclusive. Always we return the sense of something lost, a price paid for anything gained.
Later, we learn more about Soyoung’s childhood friend Yujin, and his instance YJ, again one in Korea the other in America. YJ works for Merge Break, one of the growing numbers of tech companies invested in the instance industry. YJ wants Yujin to have the option of YJ’s life, a green card, Dual Citizenship. They talk regularly, have a close bond. But we learn of chilling scenarios – the story of two instances – one a holocaust survivor, who is pushed off a roof by his instance, who cannot bear to live with the holocaust memories. YJ has two grandfathers, one in North Korea, the other in the South – who was ‘disappeared’ by the Korean government. There is a sense of the fragmented self, magnified by history.
Instancing has, so far, been an act of self will. This raises question of who owns the memories if an instance reintegrates? This is an echo of subjects that preoccupy us today, such as AI and intellectual property. The story touches on much that is significant in our world at a time of division and uncertainty – immigration, citizenship, borders, our sense of self, identity, belonging. How we delineate our world. Kim argues that the borders, artificial or not are “…a social technology, that creates emotional reality, that creates a physical reality.”
The pace and tension of the story speeds up when we learn about new technology which will open up possibilities for the control of instancing and reintegration, raising crucial questions about our right as individuals to exist in a place of our choosing. Our definitions of freedom.
Overall, the layering of characters into different ‘selves’ does mean that there are complicated concepts to grapple with and at times I found it difficult to fully empathise with characters that were split into different personalities. However, the elegant, lyrical writing, arranged in short vignettes makes the path generally easy to follow, even when it seems to meander and divert. However, as the implications of the developing technology around instancing forces events forward, the focus starts to feel fragmented. There are many questions, and there were times when it felt that these questions were too numerous to be corralled into any kind of answer. The understanding of what it is that essentially forms a person became scattered. I found it difficult to connect and empathise with characters who are in pieces.
On one level I appreciate the inconclusive style of this novel. ‘Instancing’ is portrayed as a physical reality of something that is psychological and relevant to us all. But in the world Kim has created, I questioned whether this physical manifestation would have had a greater impact on how we developed as a society. In Kim’s world, Humankind seems to have easily absorbed all the repercussions of this self-splitting. Surely it would have had a greater effect on how we view borders, societal divisions, and our awareness of our own self? This is not to say that Kim does not explore these questions, and it is this exploration, together with the beautiful writing, which makes this a fascinating and pleasurable read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Questions That Remain Now That I’ve Read Sublimation:
Why were instances considered people in America’s founding documents when most people, in the real world, were not considered people in America’s founding documents?
What does it mean that a Korean girl who instances thinks of herself as “Korean version” and “American version”? In a book that is largely about a metaphor for immigration why is the perspective that you quit being the “country of origin” self when you leave that country? Allowing of course for this to be the perspective of one character--given that it's a central theme of the whole book and the whole world experiences this phenomenon, shouldn’t this be more complicated by the text?
If your instanced parent has a child but it’s not the parent you stay with, is that child your sibling? What is your relationship with them? Are your instances your family?
If instancing is about being of two minds, do highly anxious people instance more frequently?
Does DID exist in this reality? How does understanding of DID intersect with understanding of instancing? Do the communities cross over? Do they understand themselves in terms of each other?
Since many migrants are leaving their countries of origin due to violence and persecution, does this not mean that a notable percentage of instances that remain die in violence? What is the individual and cultural experience of being an instance whose other half did not escape? What effect of mass death of otherself have on escaped instances on a grand scale?
What happens when your instance dies?
Do reintegrated people suffer above average incidences of psychosis? Do they commit suicide with statistically higher frequency? If schizophrenia exists in this book exists (it does) how does that intersect with instancing?
If one instance is trans how likely is the other instance to be trans?
If instancing is rare and most common among migrants and reintegrating an ambivalent situation, why is the technology around preventing reintegration so lucrative and so commonly advertised in every possible venue?
How do different cultures conceive of both instances and reintegrations? Are they ever venerated? Considered holy? Shunned? Killed?
*there is one mention of instances being killed on creation, but no word on who does this
With this in mind why is there no immigration enforcement regarding instancing at airports?
Do colonizers instance?
Do colonizers love or hate their instances more or differently than non-colonizing immigrants?
Do any cultures or individuals kill instanced children for being unexpected financial burdens?
Do any cultures consider one or the other instance inhuman, a shade, a demon?
How many instances can you have simultaneously?
Why can’t instanced people be dual citizens?
What is the social / cultural status of instanced people? Why as a minority who would mostly be comprised of migrants are they often being conferred neutral or positive status when that is not typical of immigrant experiences or treatment of minorities?
If instancing is about being of two minds, how is there an entire subset of people who deliberately instance to go traveling? Wouldn’t being sure of wanting to travel prevent this?
Why does a natural [pseudo]biological process respect only political borders?
Why is this book written as literal when it’s a metaphorical premise that only works metaphorically?
How do people instance in ICE facilities if they are not a border and it only happens at national borders?
What happens with instancing at disputed borders? Does it depend on the perception or ideological position of the person instancing or on the greater enforcement? What happens in areas besieged by war, invasion, partition, colonization?
If you are going to put Eve being Adam’s rib into the book why is it not reframed into instancing? Why are we instead focusing on everything being an instance of God? If the serpent is an instance of God does that change anything about Christianity?
Why does one instance “win” in a reintegration? How can you control the “percentages” of each instance in a reintegration?
Why do reintegrations most often return to their nation of origin?
Why does any one of these characters think that the US government won’t use technology to prevent instancing to basically force a genocide of a naturally occurring feature of humanity? Why isn’t preventing instancing seen as genocidal?
Why don't non-humans instance? Is it because animals are not intelligent (wrong) or because they don't know borders? Is it not true that some animals have strictly observed territorial boundaries, just like humans?
Why don’t any languages seem to have grammar specific to instancing when it’s a condition that has persisted alongside the entire history of humanity?
Why are there offshoots of Christianity that think your good and bad parts instance into heaven and hell at death, if instancing is actually about being of two minds? Wouldn’t being of two minds about going to hell be extremely weird and bizarre? Who would want to go to hell? Why isn’t the belief simply that there are ghosts?
Are there ghosts?
Conclusion:
Not all short stories should be novels. I can imagine a subtle, non-literal, slim literary novel of this concept being exceptional. Some unsavory tech bro practices and the world’s most boring will they won’t they, and the protagonists’ endlessly circling thoughts, did not a book make. Even the myths struggled, parsed out line by line between sections of present day story as a series of heavy-handed thematic embellishments.
I have many questions and the concept of iteration is rife with possibility but despite the enormous amount of space given to stretching the story out, none of my most pressing questions were addressed.
Why were instances considered people in America’s founding documents when most people, in the real world, were not considered people in America’s founding documents?
What does it mean that a Korean girl who instances thinks of herself as “Korean version” and “American version”? In a book that is largely about a metaphor for immigration why is the perspective that you quit being the “country of origin” self when you leave that country? Allowing of course for this to be the perspective of one character--given that it's a central theme of the whole book and the whole world experiences this phenomenon, shouldn’t this be more complicated by the text?
If your instanced parent has a child but it’s not the parent you stay with, is that child your sibling? What is your relationship with them? Are your instances your family?
If instancing is about being of two minds, do highly anxious people instance more frequently?
Does DID exist in this reality? How does understanding of DID intersect with understanding of instancing? Do the communities cross over? Do they understand themselves in terms of each other?
Since many migrants are leaving their countries of origin due to violence and persecution, does this not mean that a notable percentage of instances that remain die in violence? What is the individual and cultural experience of being an instance whose other half did not escape? What effect of mass death of otherself have on escaped instances on a grand scale?
What happens when your instance dies?
Do reintegrated people suffer above average incidences of psychosis? Do they commit suicide with statistically higher frequency? If schizophrenia exists in this book exists (it does) how does that intersect with instancing?
If one instance is trans how likely is the other instance to be trans?
If instancing is rare and most common among migrants and reintegrating an ambivalent situation, why is the technology around preventing reintegration so lucrative and so commonly advertised in every possible venue?
How do different cultures conceive of both instances and reintegrations? Are they ever venerated? Considered holy? Shunned? Killed?
*there is one mention of instances being killed on creation, but no word on who does this
With this in mind why is there no immigration enforcement regarding instancing at airports?
Do colonizers instance?
Do colonizers love or hate their instances more or differently than non-colonizing immigrants?
Do any cultures or individuals kill instanced children for being unexpected financial burdens?
Do any cultures consider one or the other instance inhuman, a shade, a demon?
How many instances can you have simultaneously?
Why can’t instanced people be dual citizens?
What is the social / cultural status of instanced people? Why as a minority who would mostly be comprised of migrants are they often being conferred neutral or positive status when that is not typical of immigrant experiences or treatment of minorities?
If instancing is about being of two minds, how is there an entire subset of people who deliberately instance to go traveling? Wouldn’t being sure of wanting to travel prevent this?
Why does a natural [pseudo]biological process respect only political borders?
Why is this book written as literal when it’s a metaphorical premise that only works metaphorically?
How do people instance in ICE facilities if they are not a border and it only happens at national borders?
What happens with instancing at disputed borders? Does it depend on the perception or ideological position of the person instancing or on the greater enforcement? What happens in areas besieged by war, invasion, partition, colonization?
If you are going to put Eve being Adam’s rib into the book why is it not reframed into instancing? Why are we instead focusing on everything being an instance of God? If the serpent is an instance of God does that change anything about Christianity?
Why does one instance “win” in a reintegration? How can you control the “percentages” of each instance in a reintegration?
Why do reintegrations most often return to their nation of origin?
Why does any one of these characters think that the US government won’t use technology to prevent instancing to basically force a genocide of a naturally occurring feature of humanity? Why isn’t preventing instancing seen as genocidal?
Why don't non-humans instance? Is it because animals are not intelligent (wrong) or because they don't know borders? Is it not true that some animals have strictly observed territorial boundaries, just like humans?
Why don’t any languages seem to have grammar specific to instancing when it’s a condition that has persisted alongside the entire history of humanity?
Why are there offshoots of Christianity that think your good and bad parts instance into heaven and hell at death, if instancing is actually about being of two minds? Wouldn’t being of two minds about going to hell be extremely weird and bizarre? Who would want to go to hell? Why isn’t the belief simply that there are ghosts?
Are there ghosts?
Conclusion:
Not all short stories should be novels. I can imagine a subtle, non-literal, slim literary novel of this concept being exceptional. Some unsavory tech bro practices and the world’s most boring will they won’t they, and the protagonists’ endlessly circling thoughts, did not a book make. Even the myths struggled, parsed out line by line between sections of present day story as a series of heavy-handed thematic embellishments.
I have many questions and the concept of iteration is rife with possibility but despite the enormous amount of space given to stretching the story out, none of my most pressing questions were addressed.
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