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The Forest Called You: A queer coming-of-age K-pop love story
Not yet published
Expected 4 Jun 26In a future Korea, the world has been ravaged by dust clouds and the deadly Akanta virus. Rather than live in their nightmarish present, people slip on virtual reality headsets to indulge in nostalgic simulations of the past.
18-year-old Soop - stigmatised due to her brush with Akanta, which causes VR-rejection – is bullied at school for having to live solely in the real world. Her only solace comes from the K-Pop music she listens to on repeat. When a chance encounter brings Soop face-to-face with her idol, Yichae, a super-star whose new music video is being filmed at Soop's high school, she hopes this might be her chance at real connection.
But Yichae has her own troubles. She is one of the few remaining ‘real’ human idols. In a K-pop world where virtual stars dominate, Yichae is forced to live up to unattainable beauty and body standards, under the guise of being celebrated for her supposed authenticity.
The Forest Called You is a love letter to K-Pop, romance and high school politics – a novel about staying true to our passions, loving ourselves and each other, in an increasingly artificial world.
18-year-old Soop - stigmatised due to her brush with Akanta, which causes VR-rejection – is bullied at school for having to live solely in the real world. Her only solace comes from the K-Pop music she listens to on repeat. When a chance encounter brings Soop face-to-face with her idol, Yichae, a super-star whose new music video is being filmed at Soop's high school, she hopes this might be her chance at real connection.
But Yichae has her own troubles. She is one of the few remaining ‘real’ human idols. In a K-pop world where virtual stars dominate, Yichae is forced to live up to unattainable beauty and body standards, under the guise of being celebrated for her supposed authenticity.
The Forest Called You is a love letter to K-Pop, romance and high school politics – a novel about staying true to our passions, loving ourselves and each other, in an increasingly artificial world.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
How much more real did she have to look to be loved? How much more perfect? The more Yichae tried to feign perfection, the more it felt like a lie, while the more she tried to be real, the more unsure she became about who the real her was.
얼마나 더 진짜 같아 보여야 사랑받을 수 있나? 얼마나 더 완벽해 보여야 사랑받을 수 있지? 완벽한 모습을 보이려고 할수록 사람들에게 거짓말하는 것 같고, 진짜가 되려고 할수록 진짜 자신을 모르게 되어가는 것 같았다.
The Forest Called You is Joheun Lee's translation of 너라는 이름의 숲 by 아밀 by (Amil - a penname) who as a translator has rendered works by James Baldwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, R. O. Kwon and Lucas Rijneveld (most notably the brillinat De avond is ongemak as 그날 저녁의 불편함) into Korean, under her real name 김지현 (Kim Ji-hyun).
This is the second of the author's books to appear in English after the fascinating connection of short stories, Roadkill, which had a speculative fiction and feminist slant, and a fablistic style.
Based on those expectations, The Forest Calls You was a relative disappointment, closer to a YA novel.
The novel is set in the future (seemingly the 22nd century) in a world where most, except the well-off, eat manufactured food; Seoul is a run-down poor area of Korea; and the wealthy also live much of their lives in virtual reality. The novel written in the near aftermath of Covid, there is also an infectious disease circulating, Akanta, which as well as causing illness, sometimes fatal, can leave the sufferer with permanent VR-rejection, cutting them off from more advanced social life.
Yichae is a K-pop idol in her early 20s, a solo-artist, and one of a diminishing group of real-life performers, although even then her fans interact with her largely via VR. She comes from a unpriviliged background in Seoul.
Soop (the Korean word 숲 means Forest, which the translator chooses to gloss) is an 18yo student at the same school Yichae attended, one where the pupils are (the shame!) taught in person, and a social outcast as she suffers from VR-rejection.
The novel has Yichae, whose career is struggling after she (the shame!) put on 4kg, come to the school to film the video for her comeback track, one supposed to show the gritty city real-life from which she came, although in reality everything is very sanitised.
Soop is a secret fan of Yichae, and the two form an intense, if not always harmonious relationship, despite the best efforts of the school alpha. Da-on, with designs on stardom of their own and who wants to form her own friendship with the pop idol.
Much of the novel concerns the, to me, rather weird world of K-pop idolatry alongside YA high-school petty rivalry, alongside some rather unconvincing world building.
It does occassionally develop something more of an edge when Yichae, whose polished public image hides a more troubled past, comments explicitly, and somewhat jarringly, to her manager, and to Soop, on the reality of her sexualisation by fans: 'People all love my body,' Yichae seethed. 'They want to be thin like me, pretty like me. They want to fuck my skinny body and ejaculate on my pretty face.'
2.5 stars rounded to 2.
얼마나 더 진짜 같아 보여야 사랑받을 수 있나? 얼마나 더 완벽해 보여야 사랑받을 수 있지? 완벽한 모습을 보이려고 할수록 사람들에게 거짓말하는 것 같고, 진짜가 되려고 할수록 진짜 자신을 모르게 되어가는 것 같았다.
The Forest Called You is Joheun Lee's translation of 너라는 이름의 숲 by 아밀 by (Amil - a penname) who as a translator has rendered works by James Baldwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, R. O. Kwon and Lucas Rijneveld (most notably the brillinat De avond is ongemak as 그날 저녁의 불편함) into Korean, under her real name 김지현 (Kim Ji-hyun).
This is the second of the author's books to appear in English after the fascinating connection of short stories, Roadkill, which had a speculative fiction and feminist slant, and a fablistic style.
Based on those expectations, The Forest Calls You was a relative disappointment, closer to a YA novel.
The novel is set in the future (seemingly the 22nd century) in a world where most, except the well-off, eat manufactured food; Seoul is a run-down poor area of Korea; and the wealthy also live much of their lives in virtual reality. The novel written in the near aftermath of Covid, there is also an infectious disease circulating, Akanta, which as well as causing illness, sometimes fatal, can leave the sufferer with permanent VR-rejection, cutting them off from more advanced social life.
Yichae is a K-pop idol in her early 20s, a solo-artist, and one of a diminishing group of real-life performers, although even then her fans interact with her largely via VR. She comes from a unpriviliged background in Seoul.
Soop (the Korean word 숲 means Forest, which the translator chooses to gloss) is an 18yo student at the same school Yichae attended, one where the pupils are (the shame!) taught in person, and a social outcast as she suffers from VR-rejection.
The novel has Yichae, whose career is struggling after she (the shame!) put on 4kg, come to the school to film the video for her comeback track, one supposed to show the gritty city real-life from which she came, although in reality everything is very sanitised.
Soop is a secret fan of Yichae, and the two form an intense, if not always harmonious relationship, despite the best efforts of the school alpha. Da-on, with designs on stardom of their own and who wants to form her own friendship with the pop idol.
Much of the novel concerns the, to me, rather weird world of K-pop idolatry alongside YA high-school petty rivalry, alongside some rather unconvincing world building.
It does occassionally develop something more of an edge when Yichae, whose polished public image hides a more troubled past, comments explicitly, and somewhat jarringly, to her manager, and to Soop, on the reality of her sexualisation by fans: 'People all love my body,' Yichae seethed. 'They want to be thin like me, pretty like me. They want to fuck my skinny body and ejaculate on my pretty face.'
2.5 stars rounded to 2.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Forest Called You is a Korean dystopian love story between an idol who performs in virtual reality and a high school student who can't use VR. In a Korea of the future in which people have mostly retreated inside their homes due to viruses and dust, Yichae is one of the last remaining 'real' idols, an actual person rather than virtual perfection. She struggles with having the image expected of her, especially when she is suddenly required to film a music video at her former high school, with a cast of current student extras. Soop is one of the students at the school, bullied and treated as an outcast due to having VR rejection, meaning she cannot use VR devices, but she loves Yichae's music. When the two meet, their very different worlds collide.
This book is a queer coming of age story that has a dystopian setting, rather than being a full dystopian novel. The focus is on how the characters interact and exist in this world, rather than the how and why things got to where they are, and the narrative moves between the perspective of the two protagonists, offering the ability to see their very different lives but also the assumptions other people make about them. The relationship between the characters, though brief, is built up from both perspectives, which gives a lot more context to it than you'd get if it was only from one perspective.
The story is quite simple and the book itself is a nice quick read, making it ideal when you want something that isn't too taxing, but still engages with some darker stuff (which is a combination of real world issues like disordered eating, alcohol abuse, and bullying, alongside the virtual reality and fictional virus elements). The ending is perhaps a bit quick compared to the pace of the rest of the book, but it manages to explore quite a lot in a short space.
This book is a queer coming of age story that has a dystopian setting, rather than being a full dystopian novel. The focus is on how the characters interact and exist in this world, rather than the how and why things got to where they are, and the narrative moves between the perspective of the two protagonists, offering the ability to see their very different lives but also the assumptions other people make about them. The relationship between the characters, though brief, is built up from both perspectives, which gives a lot more context to it than you'd get if it was only from one perspective.
The story is quite simple and the book itself is a nice quick read, making it ideal when you want something that isn't too taxing, but still engages with some darker stuff (which is a combination of real world issues like disordered eating, alcohol abuse, and bullying, alongside the virtual reality and fictional virus elements). The ending is perhaps a bit quick compared to the pace of the rest of the book, but it manages to explore quite a lot in a short space.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Penguin for allowing me to read this early copy.
I rarely read translated works but this one sounded very interesting. In a dystopian future where people spend most of their time in virtual reality, a bullied school girl gets a chance to meet her idol. Will they become friends or something more?
This isn’t my usual type of read but I have to say the premise drew me in. The virtual reality where the rich spent their time was such a sharp contrast to the main character, Soop’s experience. I think the idea of a virus that made people basically allergic to VR was another interesting touch. I liked the storyline of Yichae filming her music video at Soop’s school.
Where the book lost me a bit was with the characters. I feel like this particular style of writing creates characters that feel a bit flat and one-dimensional. They can still have important things to say but it feels like every character is either someone you’re meant to like or someone you’re meant to hate. I live more for characters who fall between those cracks.
I will also mention: huge trigger warning for eating disorders and fatphobia in the K-pop industry. I really felt bad for all the comments Yichae read, and how much she struggled with herself throughout this story.
The Forest Called You is out June 4th. Give it a pre-order if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!
I rarely read translated works but this one sounded very interesting. In a dystopian future where people spend most of their time in virtual reality, a bullied school girl gets a chance to meet her idol. Will they become friends or something more?
This isn’t my usual type of read but I have to say the premise drew me in. The virtual reality where the rich spent their time was such a sharp contrast to the main character, Soop’s experience. I think the idea of a virus that made people basically allergic to VR was another interesting touch. I liked the storyline of Yichae filming her music video at Soop’s school.
Where the book lost me a bit was with the characters. I feel like this particular style of writing creates characters that feel a bit flat and one-dimensional. They can still have important things to say but it feels like every character is either someone you’re meant to like or someone you’re meant to hate. I live more for characters who fall between those cracks.
I will also mention: huge trigger warning for eating disorders and fatphobia in the K-pop industry. I really felt bad for all the comments Yichae read, and how much she struggled with herself throughout this story.
The Forest Called You is out June 4th. Give it a pre-order if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!
Did Not Finish
April 7, 2026Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage | Harvill for providing me with the ARC.
Pub Date 4 Jun 2026
If you love YA, sci-fi, k-pop and dystopian fiction blended into one, you should most definitely read this. I am familiar with Amil’s short story collection “Roadkill”, I loved almost every single story in there and I was very excited to read this novel, but unfortunately, it is not for me. It is a hard YA, involving a pop star - two things I am so not interested in. I don’t want to do the book disservice; I acknowledge that I’m not the target audience, so I’m dnf-ing at 20%. I’m not reading books for the sake of reviewing them, I want to enjoy and find entertainment in fiction, and also if I could learn a thing or this, this would be my optimal pleasure of reading. Here I can detect the themes that would excite a high school girl – k-pop, eating disorder, bullying and themes of belonging and loneliness. I highly recommend Amil’s short stories and as I’ve already said above, read this if you love YA fiction.
Pub Date 4 Jun 2026
If you love YA, sci-fi, k-pop and dystopian fiction blended into one, you should most definitely read this. I am familiar with Amil’s short story collection “Roadkill”, I loved almost every single story in there and I was very excited to read this novel, but unfortunately, it is not for me. It is a hard YA, involving a pop star - two things I am so not interested in. I don’t want to do the book disservice; I acknowledge that I’m not the target audience, so I’m dnf-ing at 20%. I’m not reading books for the sake of reviewing them, I want to enjoy and find entertainment in fiction, and also if I could learn a thing or this, this would be my optimal pleasure of reading. Here I can detect the themes that would excite a high school girl – k-pop, eating disorder, bullying and themes of belonging and loneliness. I highly recommend Amil’s short stories and as I’ve already said above, read this if you love YA fiction.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Trigger warnings for eating disorders, purging, binging and probably abuse could do with being added. The ED related ones being more prominent throughout.
This had a lot of potential but im not sure it really fufiled it. With the book being fairly short I feel like a lot more could have been done to flesh the story out, especially the ending which felt very abrupt.
I enjoyed seeing both perspectives, exploring the preconceived ideas people had about the lives of both characters VS what they actually were. We got to see both realise they were queer, and unpack what it means to be loved as a public persona or an idea, but both still have a lot of growth and learning to do.
The book itself takes place over a few days, and I read it in a single afternoon. Its a fast paced read, though it does feel jumpy and slightly repetitive at times. Still recommend to fans of coming of age and/or idols!
This had a lot of potential but im not sure it really fufiled it. With the book being fairly short I feel like a lot more could have been done to flesh the story out, especially the ending which felt very abrupt.
I enjoyed seeing both perspectives, exploring the preconceived ideas people had about the lives of both characters VS what they actually were. We got to see both realise they were queer, and unpack what it means to be loved as a public persona or an idea, but both still have a lot of growth and learning to do.
The book itself takes place over a few days, and I read it in a single afternoon. Its a fast paced read, though it does feel jumpy and slightly repetitive at times. Still recommend to fans of coming of age and/or idols!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews