Atmospheric and 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 and the city’s foggy back streets and 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 and vulnerable adults under state care and 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 and 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; and 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, and the vulnerability of those near the bottom of the social ladder. It is a heart-wrenching and provocative work that helped bring about change to a system it dared to challenge.

In a world divided by elemental abilities, four kingdoms have rarely known peace. Koraine always dreamed of seeing the world, and escaping the confines of Morwen, the water kingdom she grew up in. Finally that wish was coming true. Except at a price. She was being forced to marry the prince of their rival kingdom, Abelon the kingdom of fire. Bellamy always knew one day he would become king. He spent every day trying to prove himself as prince to a father with impossible expectations. Never once had he questioned the king's demands. Until his marriage was announced. Being forced to marry a nobleman's daughter from his rival kingdom had never been a part of his plan. With war on the horizon, the pair must first survive the months of traditions leading to their impending marriage. The more they resist and try to fight the inevitable, the harder they find it to deny the feelings buried deep in their hearts.