Sublimation

by Isabel J. Kim, Michelle H. Lee (Narrator), Major Curda (Narrator)

What would you sacrifice for a different life?

When you emigrate, you leave a version of yourself behind. Literally. One instance crosses the border; the other instance stays trapped behind it.

Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, synchronize their lives and minds in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Other instances, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at age ten and never speak to their other selves again.

With a life of her own in New York, Rose never imagined she’d return to Korea. Then her grandfather dies and Soyoung, her Korean instance, summons her home for the funeral. But Soyoung’s motives aren’t as innocent as Rose imagined, and the consequences of Rose’s return to Seoul will change her forever.

Sublimation is a story of doppelgängers and corporate intrigue, heartbreak and betrayal. Nebula Award-winning author Isabel J. Kim has written an immigrant tale like no other, capturing the longing for another life and twisting it into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse.

‘One of the best debuts of the year. Sublimation speaks to our moment in ways we could not have expected’ – John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain

‘A dazzling parable of connection and isolation’ – Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Adult, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

Audible Audio

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

Isabel 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 or @isabel.kim on Bluesky.

Reviews

[L (Nineteen Adze) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 any character names character details yet? Irrelevant. I can't wait to dive in.

[Ai Jiang]

A 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.

[Mai H.]

ANHPI TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books

[Jay Brantner · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[thelamaesque]

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 !!!

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy sh*t this book is good

[Natalie Benkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Meire Albuquerque · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!!!!

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Picador for providing me with the ARC.
Pub Date 9 Jul 2026
A sci-fi literary fiction with strong social commentary. I was fascinated with the concept of “instancing” presented here. In this speculative reality the physical crossing of a border splits a person in half, or more like creates another version of that person, who is also the same person, but going into the world and having different experiences. If you ever wandered what would’ve been like if you went to study abroad, or decided to go live in another continent, this plays with that idea of having two lives.
At the beginning we are following Rose/Soyoung, but I was pleased to see that we get the POV of YJ/Yujin as well. Rose and Soyoung are the same person, but to me they read as very distinct. I applaud the author for being able to write one and the same character and still managed to get me to feel differently about each of them. The same goes for YJ and Yujin.
The narration switches between second person and third person narration. I felt like this was very imperative to the feeling it wants to create, simultaneously putting you in the character’s place and then splitting you from it. There are scientific aspects that are included and it was really interesting reading the paragraphs that add more of a clarification to the reality of “instancing”. Everything is based on intent and choices and it’s deeply psychological. The desire for more and better.
But there is also a dissonance, that makes a person doubt and regret, which is a big drive for the plot here. In the last two halves of the story we get into the bigger picture and it was very exciting. Not to spoil anything, but the plot thickens and it made me breathless. But I had some conflicting feelings about the main character Soyoung – I can absolutely relate to her, but my God, she was an awful person in my opinion. The way she treated her other self and her friend and her fiancé, I was really angry with her. Her views were also childish, like when Yujin said to her that you have to live with your choices, she just responded – no, you don’t. Which was girlllll, you DO! Her arc was good, although I still think she was mostly selfish.
I think this book will resonate with a lot of sci-fi readers, it was expertly written and it was so rich with commentary and ideas and a personal dissection of one’s self.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

🫧 SUBLIMATION by Isabel J. Kim
Out June 2, 2026 | @TOR

Literary Speculative Fiction • Diaspora • Dual Identity

“When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind.”

What a concept. What a book. What a world. 🌏
Isabel J. Kim’s Sublimation is an existential fever dream. It's a story of immigration, identity, and the dangerous longing to reclaim what we’ve left behind.

When Rose crosses the border from Korea to America, another version of her, Soyoung, stays behind. Years later, a funeral forces their worlds to collide, and what begins as grief unravels into a haunting game of mirrors and survival.

This debut is speculative fiction at its sharpest with equal parts psychological thriller, diaspora myth, and meditation on belonging. Kim writes with the precision of a scalpel and the ache of a poet. Every sentence hums with questions of who we are when the border splits us in two.

✨ Themes:
🌗 Immigration & identity
🩸 Split selves / doppelgänger tension
💔 Cultural dissonance & memory
🧬 Philosophical sci-fi + literary prose
🌌 Korean diaspora / speculative reflection

For readers who love Ling Ma, Carmen Maria Machado, and Kazuo Ishiguro, Sublimation will absolutely destroy you ... beautifully.

#Sublimation #IsabelJKim #LiterarySpeculativeFiction #DiasporaStories #ImmigrantNarrative #SpeculativeFiction #BookishCommunity #FictionRecs #Bookstagram #AsianAuthors #SciFiMeetsLiterary #UpcomingRelease #BookishLove #LocusAwardWinner #NebulaWinner #MustRead2026 #DualIdentity #TORPublishing

[Cori Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal speculative fiction exploring what it might be like if we as immigrants could both leave and stay.

I came to this via the short story, Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self (link goes to Clarkesworld, there is also a human-read audio version there.) The story is developed for the book, but the style is the same -- in particular, use of second-person to convey the intimate weirdness of 'instancing', described as:

Instancing is not a physical phenomenon. It is not a cleft of meat and bone, there is no physical severance. It is the cleave of one future from another. It is psychological change as denoted through physical reality; it is metaphor made flesh. The physical effects are downstream from the higher-order changes taking place.

I loved how the similarities and differences of the main characters, two pairs of instanced people, are explored -- how leaving or staying is changing them. I also love the interweaving of cultural and societal reflections. Often, spec fic focuses around the impacts of the premise on the characters, but here the author has an exceptional range of vignettes across science, literature, history, myth and religion too.

Highly recommend you check out the short story, and if it piques your interest, pop this on your TBR for June/July. I'll definitely be rereading for all the nuance I missed first time through.

Rating: 17/20.
This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

It took me quite a while to really adjust to the writing style and get invested in the story, but once I got there, I started to enjoy this book. Each chapter is not only from a different character's point of view, but there are also several asides in each that are short of mini-throughlines in the book. It is, obviously, about immigration couched in a sci-fi, high-tech world. I appreciated that the various characters were coming at instancing/immigration from different places - I think it will both help a wide range of people find something to connect to in the story as well as expand one's understanding of this issue. It certainly made me stop and think about the various viewpoints surrounding immigration in the US.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely try another from the author. Thanks to Tor Publishing for sponsoring the Goodreads giveaway that let me read an advance copy of this book.

[Mary Robinette Kowal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublimation is one of the most powerful debut novels I've ever had the pleasure to read. It began blowing my mind from the first page as it explores self and the way memory and experience shapes us. It's about diaspora and regret and longing.

In this version of our world, when you cross a border you have a chance of instatiating -- ie becoming two versions of yourself. One who goes and one who stays. Becoming an Instance is like quantum mechanics in human form. Throughout the book, we get glimpses of the way instances have been woven into the history of the world with excerpts of folk tales, the Odyssey and Genesis. And all of that is before we get to the deeply human POV characters.

I started recommending this book before I was finished with it and then Isabel stuck the landing. Holy cow. It's so good.

[Nicci Obert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love speculative fiction that commits to a wrinkle in the fabric of reality and weaves it into the social and technological realms. World building was excellent. Characters were relatable, and the treatment of the differences wrought on the instances by travel, experience, and memory was fascinating. I didn't love the chapter-enders that retold different mythologies... they felt tacked on sometimes, and inconsistent, but I liked the idea of them. Overall, really well-executed story that made me thing; I anticipate I'll be ruminating on this one for a while.

[Sabina · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5) LOVED this. As someone fascinated by the daily tragedy of leaving things and places, the concept of the self being divided by departure grabbed me immediately, and the rest of the novel did not disappoint. I’m obsessed with how original and unique this felt!!! A debut that I highly, highly recommend for anyone looking for great scifi stories and conversations on interiority and immigration. Also could this potentially be the year of the doppelgänger???? Send all doppelgänger stories my way please and thank you!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

baby's first ARC!

proper review to come when I have a chance to sit down and really savor the paper ARC I have coming in January (thanks Tor!) but look: I love everything Kim writes, a story that turned Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self into the first 20% of a novel was always going to be my jam, and for now I'm just here to say that Sublimation delivers. I want everybody to read this book.

[aveclesfilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

This book is just…wow. Amazing. Well written and a page turner. It’s such a unique story. I’ve never thought of this subject and the way it ties in immigration is so fresh. I loved the characters. Soyoung is selfish but I liked having a main character that truly does not care. I enjoyed reading this and this is definitely one of my tops books of the years so far.

[Virginia]

FUCKING FANTASTIC.

Elite storytelling!! Kim's writing is stellar. Her world is so fleshed out and smart. So real.

Utterly stunning. I want all the stories in this world. All the fanfiction. All the canonical stories. All the spinoffs. All the official optioned episodes.

What a world. What a concept. What a book.

Fucking amazing.

[amel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
Wow. I feel like I need to read this again to fully grasp this story. I adore the storytelling of this, especially the way biblical and mythological stories and themes are woven into the main story. There are so many things left unanswered, and so much more to be explored in this world. Also....can we talk about that epilogue???

[teaspoon]

i just read all of her short stories in clarkesworld and i am so sat for the longform version of homecoming is just another word for the sublimation of the self (a mouthful, i know).

[STEPHANIE MALDONADO · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting concept for a book it really makes you think. I’m not really sure how to even describe this book but I did enjoy it. It has a bit of a sci-fi feel and a touch of romance.

[astra]

June 2026 release date.
I have loved Isabel J. Kim's short stories in the past, and I really want a copy of this book...

[David Agranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review and podcast coverage coming. Really excellent stuff.

[Laura]

screaming crying throwing up - thank you for the ARC <3 can't wait to dig into this

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for me

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a concept! The idea of leaving a copy of yourself behind when you immigrate is such an interesting idea and one that is so politically relevant in our current times. This has a mix of everything that I love: literary prose, speculative elements with a focus on belonging and identity. Sublimation had excellent worldbuilding, phenomenal characters and just absolutely wonderful and emotional writing. I would recommend this to anybody that loves Kazuo Ishiguro, Ling Ma, and I think even Han Kang to a degree.