Mothersucker

Description

A chilling international debut following a vampire who targets men who have harmed women–in the present, past, and future–and the woman-led task force entrusted with solving the murders

“A haunting portrait of grief and pain and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child.” –Monika Kim, author of Molka and The Eyes Are the Best Part

When a man’s body is discovered in a park outside of Seoul, Detective Noh Jin-seon is called to the scene, but she soon discovers this case is unlike anything she’s seen before. The man, who had been accused of stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend, was killed with startling force, set on fire, and drained of blood. There are no footprints, no murder weapon, and no leads. Weeks later, another man is discovered murdered in the same way.

What follows is a chorus of characters grappling with the emergence of a serial killer. Among them are women haunted by past abuse who become collectively plagued by visceral dreams of vengeance; a female-led police force tasked with solving the perplexing murders; men who fear their own judgement day will come; and, at the center, Geum-hong, a mother reeling from the loss of her only daughter, brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Her daughter is gone and the trial has passed, but her rage remains, simmering and threatening to consume her…

A brisk, lacerating exploration of power, privilege, and the pursuit of justice–and a foray into the dark underbelly of gender-based violence in Korea–Mothersucker reveals just how far a woman will go to avenge the ones she loves.
Binding Type: Paperback
Contributors: Kim Bohyun,Archana Madhavan (Translator)
Published: 09/01/2026
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 9798217008384
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.81lbs

About the Author
KIM BOHYUN debuted her literary career in 2011 when her short story “Swan” was awarded Consonant and Vowel literary magazine’s New Writer’s Award. She has gone on to win other prizes including the Korea Story Contest’s Excellence Award for “Peng: When I Lay Dying” and for “Owl Boy,” which would go on to be adapted into the 2022 film, Owl. She is the author of three novels. Mothersucker is her first novel to be translated in English.

ARCHANA MADHAVAN translates Korean poetry and prose into English. Her past book-length works include Kim Hyun’s Glory Hole (co-translation, 2022) and Amil’s Roadkill (2025). Her translation of Lee Jenny’s first book of poetry was shortlisted for the Granum Translation Prize in 2023 and won the Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize in 2024. She lives in San Jose, California.