Skull Water

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Set in South Korea during the 1950s and 1970s, this haunting inter-generational coming-of-age novel follows Insu, the son of a Korean mother and a U.S. Army GI father, alongside his Korean Big Uncle, exiled to a mountain cave to die from a gangrenous foot. Growing up near an army base post-Vietnam War, Insu and his two best friends, also of mixed heritage, skip school and sell scavenged Western goods on the black market while navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood. When Insu learns of a legend that water from a dead person’s skull can cure any illness, he embarks on a quest to collect some to heal Big Uncle’s mysterious injury, leading him and his friends into the darker corners of South Korea. Meanwhile, Big Uncle, a geomancer uprooted by the Korean War, embraces his solitude and imparts wisdom to Insu about life beyond visible realities. As Insu delves into family lore, Korean folktales, and Buddhist teachings, South Korea undergoes rapid transformation into a modern Western nation. This sweeping tale examines themes of displacement, identity, family, loyalty, and the haunting influence of the past on the present.