BG 1 - May 2023

The Plotters - Un Su Kim

Government corruption. Political scandals. Contract killers. Disappearances. Set in contemporary Seoul, South Korea, the world within Kim Un-Su’s novel, The Plotters (2018), focuses on the deaths of random political figures as well as who is pulling the trigger. The shadowy figures responsible for the murders are known as “plotters” – faceless hired guns that shoot who they are told to shoot. Suspended on strings and manipulated by society’s wealthiest elites, these assassins are not meant to question their orders. The story starts with the protagonist Reseng, found in a garbage can, discarded like waste in front of a nunnery. He is discovered by a mysterious and shady father-like figure named Old Raccoon. Raised in a library that no one visits, hidden away in an unassuming alley way of Seoul, Reseng soon realises that the “library” is not an innocent place to lose oneself in literature. The library is a front used for the main assassin syndicate of Korea’s capital. Reseng simply does as any assassin would and follows into his killing path.

Alongside the K-drama trend of damning the rich and wealthy for their shameless opulence and thinly veiled decadence, Korea’s literary scene is making its way toward powerful socio-political critiques that may change the way the youth view their future. The Plotters is a story full of surprises, quintessential comedic timing, and colourful characters to root for. Possibly the biggest shock of all, however, is how we readers end up genuinely empathising with a murderer and siding with him against the elites who rule South Korea.

Book Club members discussed the various philosophical statements in the book; revenge, life, the motivation to live for, our moral paradox (due to a feeling of empathy towards the killers) and death. We further went on to discuss - reasons why people kill each other e.g., war, conflicts etc; which character we most related to, and least liked. Due to there being several graphic scenes some readers unfortunately found it disturbing. The book left much to be desired as we didn’t learn much about Korean culture, it was rather about corruption, and killing. Nevertheless, the book was interesting to read, many members felt that it was a book they would never choose by themselves, and because of that they were able to enjoy reading something different!

Jay Jung Min