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Tailbone: A Novel
A fierce and gorgeous debut novel about a teenager who runs away from her abusive home to live in a boarding house for single women as a global financial crash threatens the people of Seoul.
Set in Seoul in 2008, Tailbone follows the story of an unnamed teenage girl who, after years of struggling with her alcoholic father's abuse, and what she sees as her mother's cowardice, decides to run away. At a boarding house for single women, the narrator is pulled into the orbit of one of the other girls living an older girl named Juju, whose beauty and hardscrabble determination greatly impress the narrator.
But when a global financial crisis reaches Korea, fears of a wider economic collapse bring the city to a standstill. Everything the girls have come to rely on for survival-mainly, the patronage of wealthy men-is put at risk. Everyone begins to struggle, especially Juju, who has long been dependent on one particular benefactor, a man who is all too aware of his power over her. As businesses close and winter sets in, the narrator is forced to reckon with not only her deepening fear for Juju's future, but also her own uncertain path. Will she stay on the run or go back home to her heartbroken mother? In a city where everything rots from greed and desperation, what can a helpless woman like Juju teach her about survival? Will their hope for each other ignite courage or destruction?
A poignant tale about survival, the impact of colonial and familial violence, class, privilege, and womanhood, Tailbone is a powerful and thrilling novel from a blazing new talent.
Set in Seoul in 2008, Tailbone follows the story of an unnamed teenage girl who, after years of struggling with her alcoholic father's abuse, and what she sees as her mother's cowardice, decides to run away. At a boarding house for single women, the narrator is pulled into the orbit of one of the other girls living an older girl named Juju, whose beauty and hardscrabble determination greatly impress the narrator.
But when a global financial crisis reaches Korea, fears of a wider economic collapse bring the city to a standstill. Everything the girls have come to rely on for survival-mainly, the patronage of wealthy men-is put at risk. Everyone begins to struggle, especially Juju, who has long been dependent on one particular benefactor, a man who is all too aware of his power over her. As businesses close and winter sets in, the narrator is forced to reckon with not only her deepening fear for Juju's future, but also her own uncertain path. Will she stay on the run or go back home to her heartbroken mother? In a city where everything rots from greed and desperation, what can a helpless woman like Juju teach her about survival? Will their hope for each other ignite courage or destruction?
A poignant tale about survival, the impact of colonial and familial violence, class, privilege, and womanhood, Tailbone is a powerful and thrilling novel from a blazing new talent.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2026
About the author
Che Yeun
1 book32 followersChe Yeun is a fiction writer who often explores loneliness, desperation, and survival in her work. Her short stories can be found in Granta, AGNI, Virginia Quarterly Review, the Kenyon Review Online, and elsewhere. She has received grants from Hedgebrook, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and the David T. K. Wong Fellowship. TAILBONE is her debut novel.
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January 7, 2026
Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:
This is poised to be a breakout debut novel from a writer whose short fiction has garnered praise and attention. Following an unnamed teenage girl who seeks safety from her abusive father in a boarding house for single women, Tailbone tells the story of two friends surviving a global financial crash, where survival relies on the patronage of wealthy men. By all accounts this sounds like the kind story of friendship, identity, and soul-searching that stays with you long after the last page. —S. Zainab Williams
This is poised to be a breakout debut novel from a writer whose short fiction has garnered praise and attention. Following an unnamed teenage girl who seeks safety from her abusive father in a boarding house for single women, Tailbone tells the story of two friends surviving a global financial crash, where survival relies on the patronage of wealthy men. By all accounts this sounds like the kind story of friendship, identity, and soul-searching that stays with you long after the last page. —S. Zainab Williams
December 28, 2025
can a city choke your loneliness out? if you've wanted to be left alone all your life, away from your alcoholic washed up dad, away from your weak mother; can that be possible in a city that whirls you into its muck corners and chaos? or will it just amplify it and the anger that comes with your breath?
tailbone by che yeun delves into the rage, loneliness, despair, and frustrations of womanhood. when a girl runs away from her family, she is thrown into a city that knows no bounds. it is quite and loud; separated by a few hours and crowds, when in both atmospheres our character cannot escape the trail of what she left behind, the misery of her present life, and the looming fear of her uncertain future. in a quick, sharp, and brutal voice, yeun digs deep into a violent and harsh reality of women who don't have it all. in the midst of a financial crisis, we are pulled into the corners of seoul where our nameless character and the women around her struggle financially, emotionally, socially, and physically. this novel felt like a powerful pull; nothing but drawing me in the more i read. whether it was the metaphorical connections of the character's past to the women's current situations, or the emotions that lie between the lines of yeun's prose, tailbone is a bold telling of women's endurance in a world of violence and loneliness that wraps you up to strangle you.
truly an incredible, powerful, and mesmerizing debut that projects the hurt, anger, loneliness, and need for connection and comfort that women constantly feel in an original story i couldn't get enough of and made me face my own feelings.
tailbone by che yeun will be out april 7th, 2026
thank you to the publishers for gifting me this mesmerizing debut
"no matter how weak i felt, no matter how many people touched me like a sludge in a ditch, I would still make this life happen. I wasn't sure why the world would ever need someone like that to exist. But I needed me to exist."
tailbone by che yeun delves into the rage, loneliness, despair, and frustrations of womanhood. when a girl runs away from her family, she is thrown into a city that knows no bounds. it is quite and loud; separated by a few hours and crowds, when in both atmospheres our character cannot escape the trail of what she left behind, the misery of her present life, and the looming fear of her uncertain future. in a quick, sharp, and brutal voice, yeun digs deep into a violent and harsh reality of women who don't have it all. in the midst of a financial crisis, we are pulled into the corners of seoul where our nameless character and the women around her struggle financially, emotionally, socially, and physically. this novel felt like a powerful pull; nothing but drawing me in the more i read. whether it was the metaphorical connections of the character's past to the women's current situations, or the emotions that lie between the lines of yeun's prose, tailbone is a bold telling of women's endurance in a world of violence and loneliness that wraps you up to strangle you.
truly an incredible, powerful, and mesmerizing debut that projects the hurt, anger, loneliness, and need for connection and comfort that women constantly feel in an original story i couldn't get enough of and made me face my own feelings.
tailbone by che yeun will be out april 7th, 2026
thank you to the publishers for gifting me this mesmerizing debut
"no matter how weak i felt, no matter how many people touched me like a sludge in a ditch, I would still make this life happen. I wasn't sure why the world would ever need someone like that to exist. But I needed me to exist."
May 14, 2026
sisters in yellow but make it sad and cunty
April 6, 2026
Thank you @Bloomsburybooksus for the gifted copy
𝙥𝙪𝙗 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚: April 7th, 2026
𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★★★
"𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
Che Yuen coming in with a poignant debut about loneliness, girlhood, self-preservation, privilege and poverty, where the drain smells sour.
An unnamed 17yr old narrator living in Seoul runs away from her abusive dad and weak (in the narrator’s eyes) mother to a rundown woman’s boarding house with no plan and no money. During the 2008 global financial crisis it’s all about survival.
Such a stunning, character driven read with a tight narrative. I was locked in from beginning to end. Although the majority of the story is centered in one place, it was a wild perilous journey. For months we watch the narrator try to understand and observe the world around her while simply put, just existing. She is remarkably average and one of the reasons I enjoyed her character so much. One of the older girls she befriends, Juju (sex worker), is a protective and quite complex character giving their friendship a unique dynamic. Each stuck in their own tortuous cycles; will they fail, claw their way out or keep circling the drain?
Che Yuen is a great storyteller.
"𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯."
𝙥𝙪𝙗 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚: April 7th, 2026
𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★★★
"𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
Che Yuen coming in with a poignant debut about loneliness, girlhood, self-preservation, privilege and poverty, where the drain smells sour.
An unnamed 17yr old narrator living in Seoul runs away from her abusive dad and weak (in the narrator’s eyes) mother to a rundown woman’s boarding house with no plan and no money. During the 2008 global financial crisis it’s all about survival.
Such a stunning, character driven read with a tight narrative. I was locked in from beginning to end. Although the majority of the story is centered in one place, it was a wild perilous journey. For months we watch the narrator try to understand and observe the world around her while simply put, just existing. She is remarkably average and one of the reasons I enjoyed her character so much. One of the older girls she befriends, Juju (sex worker), is a protective and quite complex character giving their friendship a unique dynamic. Each stuck in their own tortuous cycles; will they fail, claw their way out or keep circling the drain?
Che Yuen is a great storyteller.
"𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯."
Did Not Finish
May 2, 2026DNF at 50%. The dialogue was engaging, but at some point, it got as repetitive as the descriptions of the setting. In an attempt to be naturalist, everything just felt so mundane.
April 12, 2026
This book was painfully boring. Our narrator is a teenage, high school drop out who leaves her parents to move into a rooming house where she spends her days loafing around, eating chicken skewers and cup noodles. The most exciting thing she does over the course of the book is unclog a shower drain. The only other characters of importance are one of her housemates, Juju, and her customer, Min. Those two have an extremely toxic relationship which creates the only spark in the entire book.
April 10, 2026
In the vein of Young-ha Kim, the book flawlessly explores the raw nature of the world wrapped in elegant, enchanting prose. This book gives the reader an intimate viewing of a lost, aimlessly wandering life in a manner that makes the reader feel as if they're secretly there; as if they should almost feel uncomfortable with the access provided to the lives of the people involved.
This is one hell of a debut novel.
This is one hell of a debut novel.
May 21, 2026
Tailbone is a must read for anyone who hopes to understand economic anxiety, and what everyday survival looks like for marginalized, desperate people. Not an easy read, but an important one.
• Coming-of-age story: this one is messy, often desperate, and painfully honest
• Set in 2008 Seoul: the financial crisis hangs over everything, making the instability and desperation in the characters’ lives more pronounced. It’s a stark look at what survival can cost people.
• Strong, intense writing: adds to the complicated relationships and the feelings of economic anxiety and desperation
• Unnamed narrator: a very effective technique for illustrating the anger and loneliness of the main character, who wants to reinvent herself before she really knows who she is
• Themes of class, survival, exploitation, and womanhood
• Overall vibe: leaves you with a lingering sense of sadness. This book feels like wandering through a desolate city at night trying to outrun both your past and your future
Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for the gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
• Coming-of-age story: this one is messy, often desperate, and painfully honest
• Set in 2008 Seoul: the financial crisis hangs over everything, making the instability and desperation in the characters’ lives more pronounced. It’s a stark look at what survival can cost people.
• Strong, intense writing: adds to the complicated relationships and the feelings of economic anxiety and desperation
• Unnamed narrator: a very effective technique for illustrating the anger and loneliness of the main character, who wants to reinvent herself before she really knows who she is
• Themes of class, survival, exploitation, and womanhood
• Overall vibe: leaves you with a lingering sense of sadness. This book feels like wandering through a desolate city at night trying to outrun both your past and your future
Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for the gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
April 24, 2026
I took the train into one of these ghost neighborhoods. Only fifteen subway stations away from my childhood, and yet an unrecognizable world. Where I could peel off the skin of my birth. Unplug from my matrix. I found a cheap tangle of alleyways to hide me.
Slowly, my gaze drifted over to my side...I finally locked eyes with myself. Until I did, I hadn't fully believed I would, that anyone would still be there to return the stare. But she was definitely there, even a little impatient. Where were you, she blinked.
All this time I'd been looking away, she had never stopped waiting for me.
Slowly, my gaze drifted over to my side...I finally locked eyes with myself. Until I did, I hadn't fully believed I would, that anyone would still be there to return the stare. But she was definitely there, even a little impatient. Where were you, she blinked.
All this time I'd been looking away, she had never stopped waiting for me.
May 18, 2026
[ 3.5/5 stars ]
Seoul, 2008 - our nameless seventeen-year-old narrator runs away from her abusive home and seeks refuge in women living in a boarding house.
Yeun examines how hard it is to be woman amidst financial crisis and abandonment in many ways, in which these women try to adapt in a changing city that threatens to swallow them, while they hold on to memories, even if hurtful ones. The story exposes loneliness, helplessness and struggles of womanhood through characters who yearn for human connection, whose experiences can resonate.
Messy and real, one can expect to feel angered and frustrated, rooting for these women fighting against the harsh reality of societal expectations, oppression and patriarchy. The sisterhood is both like found family and toxic - while the characterization is relatable, it could have used more depth for an emotional resonance. For those expecting some narrative momentum, this book will, however, benefit readers who enjoy a still and spare read.
TAILBONE quite succeeds in its characterization (of womanhood) and regardless of my lack of emotional commitment, it's a sharp ode to human connection.
"...It hurt more than wanting to leave, how badly I wanted to stay and mend."
[I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Bloomsbury publishing . All opinions are my own ]
Seoul, 2008 - our nameless seventeen-year-old narrator runs away from her abusive home and seeks refuge in women living in a boarding house.
Yeun examines how hard it is to be woman amidst financial crisis and abandonment in many ways, in which these women try to adapt in a changing city that threatens to swallow them, while they hold on to memories, even if hurtful ones. The story exposes loneliness, helplessness and struggles of womanhood through characters who yearn for human connection, whose experiences can resonate.
Messy and real, one can expect to feel angered and frustrated, rooting for these women fighting against the harsh reality of societal expectations, oppression and patriarchy. The sisterhood is both like found family and toxic - while the characterization is relatable, it could have used more depth for an emotional resonance. For those expecting some narrative momentum, this book will, however, benefit readers who enjoy a still and spare read.
TAILBONE quite succeeds in its characterization (of womanhood) and regardless of my lack of emotional commitment, it's a sharp ode to human connection.
"...It hurt more than wanting to leave, how badly I wanted to stay and mend."
[I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Bloomsbury publishing . All opinions are my own ]
April 7, 2026
Tailbone by Che Yeun follows an unnamed narrator who flees her family home at seventeen, escaping into the sweltering summer of 2008 in Seoul. She finds refuge in a women’s only lodging house, scraping by on very little money and gradually becoming entangled in the lives and work of the other women around her.
There’s an emotional core here—the narrator’s longing for a stable, loving family is deeply felt, especially against the backdrop of her mother’s own sense of being lost and trapped. However, the novel leans heavily into stillness, and at times it feels like not much actually happens. While it’s an easy, atmospheric read, the lack of deeper character development made it difficult to fully connect. Overall, a good read, but one that feels like it’s missing some emotional depth.
Thank you Libro.fm for the ALC!!
There’s an emotional core here—the narrator’s longing for a stable, loving family is deeply felt, especially against the backdrop of her mother’s own sense of being lost and trapped. However, the novel leans heavily into stillness, and at times it feels like not much actually happens. While it’s an easy, atmospheric read, the lack of deeper character development made it difficult to fully connect. Overall, a good read, but one that feels like it’s missing some emotional depth.
Thank you Libro.fm for the ALC!!
May 12, 2026
Devoured and the end made it to worth it!
May 14, 2026
Quick read and I liked the narrative style. I did not understand the character development of anyone but maybe that’s ok and more true to life? There were so many depressing moments in this book but it felt so honest it was hard to stop reading
May 4, 2026
raw and heavy. I felt the loneliness seeping through the lines.
May 9, 2026
Tailbone follows the stories of two young women with deep character flaws through a gritty description of their struggles during a short period of their lives during a financial crisis in Seoul. If you’re looking for a feel-good novel, this is not it; pretty much everyone in this book makes decisions you want to scream at them for, meanwhile sympathizing with the fact that none of the possible choices they have are great. Yeun’s use of imagery is to me the most captivating part of her writing. Her attention to detail about the people and city being observed through our unnamed narrator’s eyes is so impressive and feels so vividly real that some parts really made my skin crawl. The narrator’s namelessness I think adds to the overall sense that she is deemed insignificant and overlooked by society, as are all the other women she encounters in the novel. The reviews on here that are complaining that nothing happens I think are missing the point; to have these two characters have amazing character development or plot arcs that vastly change their circumstances would be to undermine the whole point of the novel. To me, the story’s purpose was to highlight that these women are trapped in pretty shitty circumstances that are beyond their control, but the kind that do not rise to the level of global humanitarian attention – just shitty enough for no one to care. This book is a snapshot into the lives of such women who attempt to cling to their humanity and sense of control through the humble and mundane: small acts of kindness for one another, eating ripe mandarins, and saying no when they can.
I consumed this book quickly not because it had a fast-paced plot or cliffhangers that had me dying to know what happened next, but rather because the descriptive language had me so entranced in their world and our narrator’s inner thoughts that I didn’t want to put it down. 5 stars!
I consumed this book quickly not because it had a fast-paced plot or cliffhangers that had me dying to know what happened next, but rather because the descriptive language had me so entranced in their world and our narrator’s inner thoughts that I didn’t want to put it down. 5 stars!
April 10, 2026
Thank you @bloomsburybooksus for the free copy and @librofm for the free audiobook 💖.
This novel is emotional and really makes you think about the bittersweet side of life and what survival actually costs. The audiobook (just under 8 hours) is beautifully narrated by Jessica Lee, who perfectly captures the narrator’s naive, messy voice at the start and gradually brings out her growing awareness by the end. It all feels very natural, never overdone. I definitely enjoyed the immersive read.
The story follows a teenage girl (whose name we never learn), who runs away from an abusive home and ends up in a boarding house for single women in Seoul as a financial crisis looms. There, she forms a close bond with another woman, and through their relationship and shared struggles, she starts to see life in a completely new way.
At first, leaving home feels like freedom, like she’s finally in control. But she slowly realizes the outside world isn’t safer, it’s just dangerous in different ways. She begins to understand that survival isn’t just about escaping; it comes with tradeoffs, compromises, and consequences that aren’t always obvious at first.
It’s a really moving coming of age story about survival, womanhood, and losing your illusions. We all go through this at some point in our lives. It captures that moment in life when you realize there are no perfect choices, just the strength to keep going. The ending is very much open ended, but the novel makes its point very clear.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read if you like:
✨Literary fiction
✨Coming of age
✨Seoul, Korea setting
✨Reflections on womanhood and survival
⚠️CW: Alcoholism, domestic violence.
This novel is emotional and really makes you think about the bittersweet side of life and what survival actually costs. The audiobook (just under 8 hours) is beautifully narrated by Jessica Lee, who perfectly captures the narrator’s naive, messy voice at the start and gradually brings out her growing awareness by the end. It all feels very natural, never overdone. I definitely enjoyed the immersive read.
The story follows a teenage girl (whose name we never learn), who runs away from an abusive home and ends up in a boarding house for single women in Seoul as a financial crisis looms. There, she forms a close bond with another woman, and through their relationship and shared struggles, she starts to see life in a completely new way.
At first, leaving home feels like freedom, like she’s finally in control. But she slowly realizes the outside world isn’t safer, it’s just dangerous in different ways. She begins to understand that survival isn’t just about escaping; it comes with tradeoffs, compromises, and consequences that aren’t always obvious at first.
It’s a really moving coming of age story about survival, womanhood, and losing your illusions. We all go through this at some point in our lives. It captures that moment in life when you realize there are no perfect choices, just the strength to keep going. The ending is very much open ended, but the novel makes its point very clear.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read if you like:
✨Literary fiction
✨Coming of age
✨Seoul, Korea setting
✨Reflections on womanhood and survival
⚠️CW: Alcoholism, domestic violence.
May 15, 2026
I think everyone I know in real life is sick with me asking “wait - have you read tailbone!?” I feel like I’m on a one woman campaign to spread the word everywhere. This book is fabulous and so poignant and should be on everyone’s top 10 of 2026 list.
April 16, 2026
A searing debut.
April 16, 2026
Gritty and raw, but the ending left me confused.
February 13, 2026
Tail Bone is a haunting and lyrical debut. Che Yeun’s prose is spare yet powerful, giving the story an intimacy that feels both raw and carefully controlled. As a first novel, it’s an impressive and confident writing that leaves me hoping there is more to come.
May 12, 2026
4.00 stars (incredibly strong first 75% + unrealized/messy last 25%)
**Thank you to LibroFM for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.**
Basics
Author: USA, she/her
Genre: literary fiction
Setting: Seoul, 2008
Themes: desperation, struggle, wanting
Vibes: melancholy, painful, aching, lonely
Characters
🥣🗑🧥 fmc - runs away from an abusive father and doormat mother to a boarding house for working girls, dreams of becoming an airplane hostess
👠💄🍊 Juju - an experienced working girl who takes the fmc under her tired wing
Pros
+ fmc runs away from an abusive father (financial and verbal abuse) who impacts her & her mother, who can't stand up to him
+ her relationship with her mother is so biting and real; she loves her but resents her, and loathes her for her actions
+ she lands at a boarding house for down-and-out working girls, and gets to know about their lives and wonders how she will live
+ the writing is so simple, brutal, and makes your chest ache
+ characters are extremely well-developed, from her father, to her mother, to the land lady, and Juju and her main patron
+ the global financial crisis adds stress to an already fragile and fractured society, leftover from war, govt changeovers, and corruption, through the pov of disaffected girls on the poverty line
+ the narrator is excellent
+ the necklace bus scene left me speechless (could be a brilliant short story alone)
+ ugliness and beauty of grimy alley life
+ if Juju's "partner" doesn't get run over I'm rioting
+ Her eyes = like a church's red stained glass
+ I'm scared to go on. This is going to fvcking hurt 😰
+ I need Min to die. Please 🙏
+ very little plot, very character-driven
Cons
- This was incredibly strong until about 75%, when we took a hard left into unrealized plot/arcs and characters acting out of themselves.
- Not sure of the final messages the author is going for here with that ending 🙃
Comp Recs
+ I Hear Your Voice - Young-ha Kim (orphans, Seoul street life, desperate struggling)
Content Warnings
parental abuse (financial, verbal), partner physical assault, physical pain/damage from rough sex work, toxic sex worker-john relationship
**Thank you to LibroFM for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.**
Basics
Author: USA, she/her
Genre: literary fiction
Setting: Seoul, 2008
Themes: desperation, struggle, wanting
Vibes: melancholy, painful, aching, lonely
Characters
🥣🗑🧥 fmc - runs away from an abusive father and doormat mother to a boarding house for working girls, dreams of becoming an airplane hostess
👠💄🍊 Juju - an experienced working girl who takes the fmc under her tired wing
Pros
+ fmc runs away from an abusive father (financial and verbal abuse) who impacts her & her mother, who can't stand up to him
+ her relationship with her mother is so biting and real; she loves her but resents her, and loathes her for her actions
+ she lands at a boarding house for down-and-out working girls, and gets to know about their lives and wonders how she will live
+ the writing is so simple, brutal, and makes your chest ache
+ characters are extremely well-developed, from her father, to her mother, to the land lady, and Juju and her main patron
+ the global financial crisis adds stress to an already fragile and fractured society, leftover from war, govt changeovers, and corruption, through the pov of disaffected girls on the poverty line
+ the narrator is excellent
+ the necklace bus scene left me speechless (could be a brilliant short story alone)
+ ugliness and beauty of grimy alley life
+ if Juju's "partner" doesn't get run over I'm rioting
+ Her eyes = like a church's red stained glass
+ I'm scared to go on. This is going to fvcking hurt 😰
+ I need Min to die. Please 🙏
+ very little plot, very character-driven
Cons
- This was incredibly strong until about 75%, when we took a hard left into unrealized plot/arcs and characters acting out of themselves.
- Not sure of the final messages the author is going for here with that ending 🙃
Comp Recs
+ I Hear Your Voice - Young-ha Kim (orphans, Seoul street life, desperate struggling)
Content Warnings
parental abuse (financial, verbal), partner physical assault, physical pain/damage from rough sex work, toxic sex worker-john relationship
April 22, 2026
At first glance, a 19th-century first mate and a teenage girl in 2008 Seoul share nothing. One is trapped in a whaleboat in the vast South Pacific; the other is trapped in a boarding house amidst a collapsing global economy. Yet, both Owen Chase and Che Yeun have produced masterclasses in psychological erosion.
The Internal Erasure of Truth
In both books, the external crisis—a shipwreck or a financial crash—is merely the catalyst. The true story is the "internal erasure."
In Chase’s account, we see the disintegration of the moral compass as starvation forces the crew into a "cringe-worthy" reality where they must eat their own to survive.
In Tailbone, the narrator experiences a similar stripping away of her humanity. As the economy fails, her world narrows into an "isolation echo chamber," where her only truth is the immediate necessity of the next meal or the next night’s safety.
The Weight of Isolation
Both authors capture the specific "cringe" of the survivor—the awkward, painful guilt of those who remain when others have been lost.
Chase’s prose is heavy with the "what-ifs" of his navigation choices, a ghost that follows him throughout the text.
Yeun’s narrator carries a similar weight, living as a "vestigial" part of society (the namesake Tailbone), feeling the phantom pain of a family and a future she had to abandon.
The Verdict
Whether it is the "malice" of a sperm whale or the cold indifference of a global market, both works suggest that the human spirit is remarkably resilient—but that such resilience comes at a permanent cost. These are not books about "winning"; they are books about remaining.
Chase and Yeun both prove that when truth is erased by necessity, what is left behind is often a heartbreaking, jagged version of the person who started the journey.
Does this "original" take on the shared psychological themes of the two books capture what you found most compelling about them?
May 12, 2026
2.5
There was nothing really bad in this book, but more so the absence of much going on. I don't mind reading character studies, but the main character of this book doesn't go through much character development or change; coupled with the lack of plot, this book just becomes somewhat boring to get through.
The prose is really sharp at times which makes some parts of the book quite enjoyable, but the stagnant plot doesn't help much. The beginning is actually quite nice when there is some action occurring, but despite the short length of this book, reading the same day occur over and over again gets old fast. Juju and Min's relationship is the only interesting thing going on in the last 50% of the book—the main character's navel-gazing touches on the same points over and over again.
The ending is a bright spot in my opinion (because something finally happens), but it's a bit too open-ended. Open-ended endings are fine of course, but because we don't see the main character do much or go through any character development it's quite hard to imagine where she will go from there.
The flashbacks to her childhood reveal a lot about the financial situation at the time in a subtle way, but the cohesion with the rest of the story isn't really there. The other vehicles used to show the ramifications of the stock market crash such as Min's financial status, the selling of the boarding house, and the impacts on the livelihoods of the girls living in the boarding house are clever though.
In sum, the addition of more plot elements would have really elevated the witty and sharp prose in this book.
There was nothing really bad in this book, but more so the absence of much going on. I don't mind reading character studies, but the main character of this book doesn't go through much character development or change; coupled with the lack of plot, this book just becomes somewhat boring to get through.
The prose is really sharp at times which makes some parts of the book quite enjoyable, but the stagnant plot doesn't help much. The beginning is actually quite nice when there is some action occurring, but despite the short length of this book, reading the same day occur over and over again gets old fast. Juju and Min's relationship is the only interesting thing going on in the last 50% of the book—the main character's navel-gazing touches on the same points over and over again.
The ending is a bright spot in my opinion (because something finally happens), but it's a bit too open-ended. Open-ended endings are fine of course, but because we don't see the main character do much or go through any character development it's quite hard to imagine where she will go from there.
The flashbacks to her childhood reveal a lot about the financial situation at the time in a subtle way, but the cohesion with the rest of the story isn't really there. The other vehicles used to show the ramifications of the stock market crash such as Min's financial status, the selling of the boarding house, and the impacts on the livelihoods of the girls living in the boarding house are clever though.
In sum, the addition of more plot elements would have really elevated the witty and sharp prose in this book.
May 5, 2026
A teenager decides she's had enough of her fathers drinking and her mother not standing up for herself and so she decides the best course of action is to run away. When she runs away she finds a house share, where the landlady only rents out to women, and those women are prostituting themselves. The teenager builds a strong connection with one of the women named Juju, and while Juju does her best to persuade her not to go down this route with her life, she does explain how she can easily get money by signing paperwork for loans and making her parents the guarantors on those loans.
I'm sorry to say but this story was boring, it was all too repetitive I felt a lot of the time the main character was just busy eating clementines and chicken skewers, there was really no character development from the teenager's point of view, she wasn't actively looking to find any work, she was willing to financial abuse her parents by making them guarantors and she was willing to steal from Juju. This book just wasn't for me, it was hard to read because I just kept thinking where was this heading, and it didn't go anywhere. At times the main character would reflect about her childhood, like when she talked about going on holiday and painting her nails, however it was completely irrelevant to the story and didn't have any hidden meanings, just felt like random thoughts. I would of loved to see her being more active in trying to better her life, taking inspiration of what not to do and just do better for herself.
I'm sorry to say but this story was boring, it was all too repetitive I felt a lot of the time the main character was just busy eating clementines and chicken skewers, there was really no character development from the teenager's point of view, she wasn't actively looking to find any work, she was willing to financial abuse her parents by making them guarantors and she was willing to steal from Juju. This book just wasn't for me, it was hard to read because I just kept thinking where was this heading, and it didn't go anywhere. At times the main character would reflect about her childhood, like when she talked about going on holiday and painting her nails, however it was completely irrelevant to the story and didn't have any hidden meanings, just felt like random thoughts. I would of loved to see her being more active in trying to better her life, taking inspiration of what not to do and just do better for herself.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Tailbone is a heartbreaking novel of an unnamed teenage girl living in Seoul, South Korea. The narrator has left her family to live in a rundown home in a gritty neighbourhood, where other single young women huddle together, spending their days smoking cigarettes and watching the world pass by from their windows and sometimes the rooftop. This novel is lush and tactile in its treatment of mundanity. The damp permeates. The drain smells sour. The fresh taste of a clementine or the nourishment of chicken broth breaks through the bleak surroundings. I hoped for these young women and kept reading to find out where they would land. Would they help each other strive for better, or would they all sink together?
May 6, 2026
For a debut author this was good, not great. This was a gritty story set in Seoul, Korea right before the 2008 stock market crash. We follow an unnamed teenage girl who runaways and lives in a boardinghouse for single women who work entering wealthy men. We flashback to life before she ran away and jump back to present day where life is hard and isn’t going how she thought at all. The book did just end with little to no resolution, which I always find frustrating.
It was interesting to read about life in Korea in 2008. Not the upper class, crazy rich Asian life, but the lower class, poor life. It was a hard read, but it felt like an honest read. Like if I walked down the street in Seoul, these were things I would see and I appreciate that.
It was interesting to read about life in Korea in 2008. Not the upper class, crazy rich Asian life, but the lower class, poor life. It was a hard read, but it felt like an honest read. Like if I walked down the street in Seoul, these were things I would see and I appreciate that.
May 19, 2026
Acquired through Libro ALC
I thought the synopsis sounded interesting and grabbed it as one of my picks last month - though deciding to read it was on a whim.
this is a grim reality of south korea during the stock market crash and the sad existence of women forced to extremes to simply survive. a destruction of a sense of self.
the thing with translated/asian literature is that the storytelling is both blunt and nuanced. For example, things couldn't read more plainly yet it always ends on a poetic melancholic note, letting the reader make up their mind about the whole story. I can appreciate it but it's the same old recipe.
It was intriguing and there's not much I can say beyond that.
I thought the synopsis sounded interesting and grabbed it as one of my picks last month - though deciding to read it was on a whim.
this is a grim reality of south korea during the stock market crash and the sad existence of women forced to extremes to simply survive. a destruction of a sense of self.
the thing with translated/asian literature is that the storytelling is both blunt and nuanced. For example, things couldn't read more plainly yet it always ends on a poetic melancholic note, letting the reader make up their mind about the whole story. I can appreciate it but it's the same old recipe.
It was intriguing and there's not much I can say beyond that.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Wow. Set is Seoul. We follow a teenage girl who leaves an alcoholic father and a weak mother. Runs away to find herself in a shabby boarding house for girls and is befriended by an older girl, Juju. We never knot the girl's' name by the way.
There is so much packed into this story it's difficult for me to break it down. I wanted so much for "The Girl". She is confident of a future, lies about a future, regrets leaving home, and celebrates leaving home.
Che Yeun writes beautifully.
Trigger: violence (woman beat up)
There is so much packed into this story it's difficult for me to break it down. I wanted so much for "The Girl". She is confident of a future, lies about a future, regrets leaving home, and celebrates leaving home.
Che Yeun writes beautifully.
Trigger: violence (woman beat up)
April 5, 2026
Thank you to Bloomsbury for a copy of Tailbone. I am not always the biggest fan of litfic but this one wasn’t bad. I enjoyed getting to see a little bit of a glimpse into the not so sunny parts of Korea. I think as Americans, we often romanticize places in Asia like Japan or South Korea, so it was a good reminder that terrible things can happen to people anywhere. This is a big character based book with not a lot of plot. The ending was very open ended as well.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
very good -- compelling voice, exciting sentences, a real hand with the dramatic. it took me a while to commit to the first few chapters but once i was there i was sold hard. could it have ended two or three chapters earlier.... maybe, but we can't have everything. thrilling tbh!
*arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
*arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
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