Join us on Tuesday, March 16th at 7pm as we welcome Lee Kyung Min, the translator of Cho Yeeun's A Mouth Full of Fins, to the shop to celebrate its release! She will be joined in conversation by R.O. Kwon. Come hang out with us!

About the book

Something is strange about Seonhyung’s uncle’s death. All that’s left of him are bones: a skull, a ribcage, and a couple of teeth—each so pristinely white it almost seems as if someone has licked them clean. Seonhyung is still reeling from the loss of her band—and the betrayal of its heavenly-voiced lead singer, Gyeongju—when she returns home for the funeral. There, she’s confronted by a handwritten will that bequeaths to Seonhyung her uncle’s most prized possession: a dilapidated aquatic pet store.

On the surface, the store seems like nothing but a burden—one Seonhyung reluctantly agrees to take on. Then, searching for the source of the rotting stench in the air, she stumbles upon a trap door to a secret basement where she discovers tanks full of unimaginable horrors. Among them, near death but still unimaginably beautiful: a mermaid whose tongue has been cruelly carved from her mouth. 

As she nurses the mermaid back to health, Seonhyung falls under the spell of her beguiling hum, until she can only think about one thing: hearing the mermaid sing. But there’s only one way to get the mermaid’s voice back: by satisfying her carnivorous appetite. Thrilling yet ethereal, A Mouth Full of Fins dares to tread the blurred line between our greatest dreams and our greatest nightmares.

About the author

Author Bio: CHO YEEUN was born in 1993 and won the Excellence Prize at the 2nd Goldenbough Time Leap Fiction Contest and the Grand Prize at the 4th Kyobo Story Contest. In English, she is also the author of The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre and Teddy Bears Never Die.

Translator Bio: LEE KYUNG MIN is a writer and translator from Seoul, Korea and Austin, Texas. Her work has been acknowledged by The Adroit Journal, the Granum Foundation, and the Bread Loaf Translator’s Conference. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Princeton University and is currently studying translation at Yonsei University. This is her first full-length translation.

R. O. Kwon is the author of the nationally bestselling novel Exhibit, a New York Times Editors’ Choice and the recipient of a Lambda Literary Prize. Kwon’s bestselling first novel, The Incendiaries, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award. Kwon coedited the bestselling Kink. Kwon’s books have been translated into seven languages and named a best book of the year by over forty publications. Born in Seoul, Kwon has lived most of her life in the United States.

About the bookstore

The Booksmith is an independent bookstore located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco since 1976.

Please note:

• Check-in for the event will begin at 6:45pm.
• Priced ticket holders (Book+seat, Pay it Forward!+seat) will have seats held until 7pm. Arrivals after 7pm will be allowed admission, but seats are not guaranteed.
• General admission ticket holders will be offered seats at check-in on a first-come, first-served basis. May be standing room.
• Space at the door on the day of the event is usually available, but not guaranteed.
• Books will be for sale on the night of the event.
• ADA accessible. Bathrooms on site during event hours.
• Events typically end between 8:30 and 9pm.
• Questions? tickets@booksmith.com