PASTE MAGAZINE:
“A storyteller faces certain death. A historian falls into a deep depression after the loss of a loved one. And four gods play out a conflict in life after life, regardless of the number of years they spend in their war. These tales blend together, weaving in and out of each other in a dance of myth, history, and personal narrative, in Minsoo Kang’s powerful debut novel, The Melancholy of Untold History…Untold history may be melancholy, but it’s in the process of living that history can be transformed, that stories can be understood, and that justice can, at last, be found.”
LOCUS MAGAZINE:
“An energetic and ambitious epic... Kang seems determined to show us that Story is as much a web as a cauldron, connecting the most ancient myths and the most contemporary anxieties, with what we think of as history as a kind of mediator. Since it's almost impossible to read The Melancholy of Untold History without coming away haunted by these questions, he's succeeded brilliantly, and given us one of the more inventive and intellectually provocative fantasies of the year.”
LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE:
“The Melancholy of Untold Historyis often funny with dark humor, sarcastic storytellers, and petulant gods. It could even be considered a fun read if it weren't for the genocide, death, and loss of a national idea and history. Instead, Kang creates an intriguing book that challenges the notion of history... [S]tories are meticulously stacked, wrapped, and unraveled, creating a complex yet coherent narrative where tales nest within each other... Kang seamlessly time-hops across millennia without ever losing the thread or emotional intensity of the story... Finishing the novel offers that satisfying sense of pieces falling into place.”
BOOKLIST:
“This deeply introspective debut from University of Missouri history professor Kang not only tugs at heartstrings but also pulls on the mind's capacity to understand grief in hopes of savoring life's brief but beautiful moments... This layering of stories explores the connections between fiction, history, myth, and narrative, highlighting how human imagination can, for better or worse, supplement gaps in historical archives. Kang's unique storytelling form also shines through his archiving of fictional secondary sources with footnotes and academic citations and his precise and meditative dialogue, making his novel especially suitable for readers interested in piecing together the kind of narrative puzzles that push fiction's boundaries.”