[K-LIT REVIEW] Cho Yeeun’s 'Teddy Bears Never Die' shrugs off genre constraints

Is it a thriller? Is it supernatural horror? A revenge quest? A mystery? Or a coming-of-age tale of first love? Cho Yeeun’s “Teddy Bears Never Die” is all of the above, with the added zest of pithy social commentary tucked into the edges. The story follows Hwayoung, a teenage girl living in squalid conditions and surviving on odd jobs after her mother died and she was forced out of school. She is fueled by one thing: revenge. Though the whole world is convinced her mother died in an unfortunate accident, she knows the truth is much more sinister. One by one, her odd jobs dry up. At her wit’s end and teetering on the edge of despair, Hwayoung spots a grimy teddy bear in an alleyway that catapults her back to brighter days long past. Unable to leave it lying in the muck, she scoops it up and takes it back to the dingy apartment she shares with more than 10 people. Imagine Hwayoung’s utter shock and disbelief when her teddy bear comes to life at a critical moment and saves her by hacking her assailant half to death with a hatchet. It turns out that the furry toy was possessed by

Original source: Korea Times