[Once the Shore 01] • Once the Shore

So persuasive are Yoon's powers of invention that I went searching for his Solla Island somewhere off the mainland of South Koreanot realizing that it exists only in this breathtaking collection of eight interlinked stories...Yoon's writing results in a fully formed, deftly executed debut. The lost lives, while heartbreaking, prove illuminating in Yoon's made-up world, so convincing and real. To read is truly to believe."*San Francisco Chronicle* Paul Yoon writes stories the way Faberge made eggs: with untold craftsmanship, artistry, and delicacy. Again and again another layer of intricacy is revealed, proving that something as small as a story can be as satisfying and moving as a Russian novel. Ann Patchett

These are lovely stories, rendered with a Chekhovian elegance. They span from postWorld War II to the new millennium, with characters of different ethnicities, yet each story has a timelessness and relevance that's haunting and unforgettable. Yoon is a sparkling new writer to welcome and celebrate. Don Lee

These are splendid stories, at once lyrical and plain-spoken and full of unusual realities. *Once the Shore* is a kind of fantastic Korean gazetteer that tours us confidently through unpredictable incidents and often startling conversationsPaul Yoon s writing is erotic, haunting, original and worldly. Howard Norman

"Yoon's collection of eight richly textured stories explore the themes of family, lost love, silence, alienation and the effects of the Japanese occupation and the Korean War on the poor communities of a small South Korean island...Yoon's stories are introspective and tender while also painting with bold strokes the details of the lives of the invisible." - *Publishers Weekly* starred review

Spanning over half a centuryfrom the years just before the Korean War to the presentthe eight stories in this collection reveal an intricate and unforgettable portrait of a single island in the South Pacific. Novelistic in scope, daring in its varied environments, *Once the Shore* introduces a remarkable new voice in international fiction.

**Paul Yoon **was born in New York City. His fiction has appeared in *One Story, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction, *and *The Best American Short Stories*, among other publications. *Once the Shore *is his first book.