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The Cabinet

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Description

Winner of the Munhakdongne Novel Award, South Korea's most prestigious literary prize. Cabinet 13 looks exactly like any normal filing cabinet…Except this cabinet is filled with files on the ‘symptomers’, humans whose strange abilities and bizarre experiences might just mark the emergence of a new species. But to Mr Kong, the harried office worker whose job it is to look after the cabinet, the symptomers are a headache; especially the one who won’t stop calling every day, asking to be turned into a cat. A richly funny and fantastical novel about the strangeness at the heart of even the most everyday lives, from one of South Korea's most acclaimed novelists. Translated by Sean Lin Halbert File Under: Fiction [ 12,000 Cans of Beer | Memory Mosaicers | Will Execution Inc. | Monkey of All Bombs ] Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Angry Robot (October 12, 2021)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0857669176


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 79


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.7 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.15 x 1.1 x 5.31 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #113,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #443 in Humorous Science Fiction (Books) #4,290 in Science Fiction Adventures #8,269 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#443 in Humorous Science Fiction (Books):


#4,290 in Science Fiction Adventures:


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • A unique fun read
The description of the book certainly caught my attention. I was intrigued by the many different characters in the book, each with abnormalities. Did I gain anything useful from this book ? Not really. But reading is always fun. You feel a sense of accomplishment and you feel a bit intellectual LOL. What did I like about the book ? It was easy to understand. My favorite part of the book was the part in which the priest and a monk were sniffing each other's tail. LMFAO. That part was funny as hell. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2024 by Cesar Loya

  • Highly surreal but disconnected from plot and characters
*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.* Highly surreal in content, this translated novel follows Mr Kong as he reads about and gets to know a new kind of people, who he terms ‘symptomers’ who have unique abilities and unusual deformities, all documented in the files in Cabinet 13. The first part of the story introduces us to Mr Kong and the Cabinet, and details many of the different symptomers he comes across in his illicit research and then in his official capacity as a kind of ‘cabinet manager’. This section of the story feels like a kind of Twilight Zone or X-Files collection, and as someone who is always drawn to tales of the strange and unusual, I eagerly consumed these anecdotes of oddity. In the second section of the novel, the story takes a sudden turn into action thriller territory, as Mr Kong is pursued and tormented by a shadowy organisation intent on extracting his knowledge of the symptomers. There is even a potential romantic sub-plot as one of Mr Kong’s colleagues becomes involved in his situation, thanks to her own ostracization in the office. Then the third section lost me completely, as it felt like the author rushed to a conclusion, eager to drop his own story threads completely and simply tuck the characters away , out of sight and mind. It felt like such a wasted opportunity compared to the strange and beautiful surrealist horror of the initial set-up, as if the author had accidentally taken a left into thriller territory and then on realising his mistake couldn’t find a way back. Still, I would read more from this author simply for the surreal vignettes he conjured of lizards for tongues, trees for fingers, and bodies that can survive on glass or gas, or sleep alone. Those little story seeds were my kind of weird! Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2022 by Steph Warren

  • A Masterpiece of satire and Irony
This is a book of genius-not a fancy literary type of book but a string of nonsense stories that are truly hilarious yet satirical--I Laughed so hard at some of the scenarios that I had to stop and wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes. I read a review on this book in a newspaper and decided to give it a try. So glad I did. Brilliant observations about life and our modern world but written in such a way you can see how foolish we have been as a species. I read mysteries more than any type of book so this was well off the beaten path for me-but I loved it. --It's not for everyone-it's a bit how should I say-"out there" but it just moves along from one section to another so easily before you know it you're 100 pages into it. I will try to find his other book The Plotters. The Cabinet in my opinion is worth taking a chance on. Also, he writes many of the scenes in a deadpan style that just made me roar with laughter. Then you say-wait a minute- he's being serious and making a point. Also try Cloud Cuckoo--that was another good book I read this past year. It definitely deserved the award it was given. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2022 by Glenn Linsinbigler

  • Drew me in and held on
This is a wonderfully weird read, but more than weird for the sake of weird. There are thought provoking insights and reflections amid the oddness, some obvious, some allegorical, some just questions to ask oneself. The ending seemed a bit anticlimactic but that might just be in comparison to more typical/mainstream plots. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024 by B. Mcfadden

  • Crazy weird!
The Cabinet is a surreal tale of a government worker who manages symptomers, who may be the next evolution of mankind. Each of the symptomer’s tales are told separately giving this book the feel of short stories with an overarching narrative loosely tying them together. My favorite surreal book is Murakami’s The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I was fully down in the well with that book’s narrator. I didn’t feel anywhere near as connected with the characters in The Cabinet. In fact, the Mad Hatter feels more real to me than these characters. For this reason, the book gets 3 stars from me. Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2021 by Diane H

  • Super good
Thoroughly enjoyed this book a lot, the plot was great and unexpected and the translation was also really good! Highly recommend it!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2023 by jesco

  • Odd but delightful
This book was initially a slow catch, but I found it really hard to put down about half way through. The ending has a hell of a plot twist that I didn't see coming until it happened. It's an interesting collection of stories that loop together. I really enjoyed this!
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022 by Lovlesphtogrl

  • Pointless
Each chapter would be interesting if told to you over drinks in a bar. But they add up to nothing. The best thing I can say about this book is that the translation is superb.
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2022 by Henry Kline

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