Togani

Atmospheric & fast-paced, this novel of manners set in a provincial South Korean city leads readers through the silent corridors of a school for hearing-impaired children & the city's foggy back streets & murky centers of power to a stirring courtroom climax.

Gong Ji-young's Togani (The Crucible), published in Korean in 2009, is based on a historic case of child sexual abuse at a state-run institution. The novel went on to sell nearly a million copies and, along with a 2011 film adaptation directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, prompted the South Korean National Assembly to pass the "Togani Laws" to provide greater legal protections for children & vulnerable adults under state care & harsher penalties for those convicted of their abuse. At a time when Korean popular culture drives cultural production worldwide, Togani reminds us of the power of fiction to effect meaningful societal change.

A story of courage in the face of corruption, Togani offers nuanced portraits of a failed young businessman seeking a new life as a teacher & his counterpart, a young woman committed to a career in human rights; a police officer of humble origins who rose through the ranks as he turns a blind eye to the abuse of students by the school’s administrators; & a hearing-impaired teenage girl, a victim of that abuse, who cares deeply for the other children at the school. The book testifies to the legacy of neo-Confucian class conflict, gender disparity, & the vulnerability of those near the bottom of the social ladder. It is a heart-wrenching & provocative work that helped bring about change to a system it dared to challenge.

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Gong Ji-young is one of Korea’s most beloved & critically acclaimed novelists. Her awards include the 2011 Yisand Literary Award, the 21st Century Literary Award, Korean Novel Prize, Special Media Award & Amnesty Interna­tional for Our Happy Time.