📘Counterattacks At Thirty : A Novel by Won-pyung Sohn

BOOK DETAILS : 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperVia (11 March 2025); HarperVia
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063457660
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063457669

ABOUT THE AUTHOR : 

Sohn Won-pyung (b.1979) earned her BA in social studies and philosophy at Sogang University and film directing at Korean Academy of Film Arts. She won the Film Review Award of the 6th Cine21 in 2001. Her movie script “I Believe In the Moment” won the Science Fantasy Writers’ Award in 2006. She also wrote and directed a number of short films including Oooh You Make Me Sick (2005), and A Two-way Monologue (2007). She made her literary debut in 2017 when her first full-length novel Almond won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, immediately garnering rave reactions from the readers. A new generation of a storyteller, she wrote her next full-length novel, Born in 1988 which won the Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Award. She is active in both movie and literary scenes as a film director, screenwriter, and novelist.

Review Copy By: Harpercollins India

BOOK REVIEW : 

Have you ever felt like you were just drifting through life, an invisible cog in a machine? That’s exactly where Ji-hye finds herself in Won-pyung Sohn’s "Counterattacks At Thirty". For thirty years, she’s been ordinary—so ordinary that her name, Ji-hye, is one of the most common in Korea. Her life is a steady rhythm of mundane tasks at the Academy, a place where absurd bureaucracy and subtle injustices are just part of the scenery.

But everything changes when Kyu-ok Lee steps into her world. A man with a history—once a whistleblower, now a seemingly obedient intern—Kyu-ok is far from ordinary. Beneath his calm exterior lies a simmering rage against society’s injustices, and soon, he pulls Ji-hye and a few others into a quiet, almost comical rebellion. From graffiti to anonymous exposés, their small acts of defiance are a catharsis in a world that demands submission.

What struck me most about this novel is how it captures the silent suffering that so many of us go through—the quiet frustrations, the swallowed words, the sacrifices made just to get by. Won-pyung Sohn’s storytelling is both sharp and deeply human, making Ji-hye’s struggle feel all too real.

But this isn’t just a story of rebellion. It’s about rediscovering a sense of self in a world that tries to erase individuality. Ji-hye’s transformation from passive acceptance to tentative defiance is the heartbeat of the novel. And while it’s subtle, it’s incredibly powerful.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a monotonous routine, silenced by fear, or simply invisible, this book will resonate with you. It’s a reminder that even the smallest acts of defiance can be a step toward freedom.

🌟 Highly recommend "Counterattacks At Thirty" to anyone who loves character-driven stories with a touch of social critique.

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