Short Stories

The Cabinet

The Cabinet

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  • Create Date：2021-10-06 00:16:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Un-su Kim
  • ISBN：B08T5V9YBK
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Summary

A mind-bending work of literary fiction from one of South Korea's hottest new novelists。

Cabinet 13 looks like an old， ordinary cabinet。 But it is filled with stories - peculiar， strange， eye popping， disgusting， enraging， and touching stories。 The life of the man who manages cabinet 13， an ordinary office manager， is similarly filled with stories。 Un-Su Kim intricately interweaves the all these stories with precise prose and in rich style， and will leave you thinking about the stories inside your own cabinet long after you turn the final page。

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Reviews

Betty ，

Unusual short story book translated from Korean。 A cabinet holds files about Symptomers who are people showing symptoms of an accelerated evolution or who break away slightly from Homo sapiens。 Our main character， a bored office worker， discovers the cabinet and reads the files。 Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot publishers for allowing me to read this book。

books4chess ，

"The modern night has fallen into a state of constant unrests。 In my opinion， the most lasting legacy of capitalism will be angst"。Trigger warning: violence， eating disorders。The plot is only one part of the story。 We follow Mr Kong'， glorified office worker turned-cabinet 13's caretaker， as he takes on the responsibility for a sub-group of citizens who exhibit supernatural qualities。 Initially lazy and untrustworthy， his character develops beyond expectation into one of humility and self-awaren "The modern night has fallen into a state of constant unrests。 In my opinion， the most lasting legacy of capitalism will be angst"。Trigger warning: violence， eating disorders。The plot is only one part of the story。 We follow Mr Kong'， glorified office worker turned-cabinet 13's caretaker， as he takes on the responsibility for a sub-group of citizens who exhibit supernatural qualities。 Initially lazy and untrustworthy， his character develops beyond expectation into one of humility and self-awareness as he chooses to protect the citizen's whose identities are protected by the relative security of the cabinet。 Korean literature is a guilty pleasure for it's rich undertones of criticism and questioning around modern society。 Kim is highly sceptical of current institutions and sheds light on bleak but thought-provoking considerations。 "Being human is like taking a number。 You just need to wait your turn quietly。 There's nothing else you can do"。 He reflects his ideas in his characters， from the bored and unfulfilled office workers to the sub-group who he subtly hints may be the by-product of human experimentation。 This is never confirmed， further highlighting just how little we really know about our lives。I loved the crude humour， I loved the humanness and the no-frills， dry wit。 Each case study was more bizarre than the last and the entire story has no true end， yet plays on the readers mind with possible conclusions。 Kim writes exceptionally well in a way that sucks the reader in and leads you along the footpath right until the very last step， allowing you to draw your own conclusions。 Bravo。Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Hilary ☀️ ，

Thank you Angry Robot Books for a copy of Un-Su Kim's The Cabinet， out October 12！ 🦎 This quirky cover， which matches the quirkiness of the book， was what first caught my eye。This is probably one of the most bizarre books I've picked up this year—similar to the outlandishness of Chang-Rae Lee's My Year Abroad。Mr。 Kong is a jaded salaryman， disillusioned about this capitalist and lonely world。 Bored with his job and bored with his life， he stumbles upon the mysterious Cabinet 13， which contains f Thank you Angry Robot Books for a copy of Un-Su Kim's The Cabinet， out October 12！ 🦎 This quirky cover， which matches the quirkiness of the book， was what first caught my eye。This is probably one of the most bizarre books I've picked up this year—similar to the outlandishness of Chang-Rae Lee's My Year Abroad。Mr。 Kong is a jaded salaryman， disillusioned about this capitalist and lonely world。 Bored with his job and bored with his life， he stumbles upon the mysterious Cabinet 13， which contains files on "symptomers，" people with strange abilities， experiences， and different ways of interacting with the world。 There is Mr。 Hwang， a symptomer who is desperate to turn into a cat to win the heart of his true love。 There are memory mosaicers， who perform memory manipulation on themselves to forget traumatic past events or fabricate happy ones。 There is a man who is completely and utterly dedicated to nursing a ginkgo tree that has taken root on his finger and eats away at his life force to survive。Mr。 Kong's narration is distinct， both comically philosophical and seriously morose。 At times， he identifies with the symptomers， waxing on about the deep tediousness of the world and bemoaning the loneliness of being human。 At other times， he is haughty and annoyed at their irritating requests。 As he continues to meet and talk with these symptomers， he speculates that they are likely a new type of species that evolved out of the need to survive the lost of humanity， kindness， and hope。 After all， what makes a symptomer any different from workaholics or people in debt or anyone else going through life？ Mr。 Kong's mood shifts and sometimes peculiar behavior （read: drinking through 450 boxes of canned beer） annoyed me at times， but does my judgment make me any different from him， who sometimes judges these symptomers on a removed plane as well？Full review: https://www。instagram。com/p/CUbGbgivhbj/ 。。。more

imyril ，

I enjoyed the first half of The Cabinet - gentle reflections on humanity and our responses to adversity - rather more than the second; and it lost much of my good will with its fatphobia and the sudden emergence of plot in the final act。 Full review to follow。 I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。

Translator Monkey ，

Surreal， amazing， and （toward the last chapters， damned unsettling） read。 Very quickly， then: A bored young man finds himself "working" in a company full of other bored "workers" - there's literally nothing to do， and when he asks to take on actual responsibilities， he is told by colleagues and supervisors alike to not rock the boat， just ride it out and be grateful for having a job。 With nothing else to do， he eventually roams around in search of an escape from boredom， and stumbles upon Cabine Surreal， amazing， and （toward the last chapters， damned unsettling） read。 Very quickly， then: A bored young man finds himself "working" in a company full of other bored "workers" - there's literally nothing to do， and when he asks to take on actual responsibilities， he is told by colleagues and supervisors alike to not rock the boat， just ride it out and be grateful for having a job。 With nothing else to do， he eventually roams around in search of an escape from boredom， and stumbles upon Cabinet 13， a cabinet full of curiosities in the guise of stories about people undergoing bizarre and quite unlikely life transformations。 The works appear to be part of a dubious research project that he begins to oversee， and finds himself asked to take charge of。 But mysterious and threatening strangers from "the syndicate" are very interested in the files， and go to incredible lengths to wrest files dealing specifically with chimeras from the hands of our protagonist， in spite of the fact that no such files exist。The book covers a lot of territory in its four hundred or so pages。 The writing is excellent， but I'm still trying to grasp what， if any， message the author was working to convey。 Perhaps it's as simple as understanding that， if you've got a good thing going for you， don't go looking to take on something more。 I dunno。 An entertaining read， either way。 。。。more

Tinted Edges ，

Check out my full book review here: https://tintededges。com/2021/09/25/th。。。 Check out my full book review here: https://tintededges。com/2021/09/25/th。。。 。。。more

Eule Luftschloss ，

trigger warning（view spoiler）[ grief， suicide， trauma， knife violence， pet death， fat shaming， misogyny， corruption， cancer， eating disorder， kidnapping， torture， mutilation， queerphobia （hide spoiler）]There is this guy who is bored at his job， because he has work for roughly half an hour and then has to sit there， doing nothing， for hours。 He is so bored that he looks through the office building， and thus he finds the cabinet。The cabinet is filled with files on people who have weird abilities， trigger warning（view spoiler）[ grief， suicide， trauma， knife violence， pet death， fat shaming， misogyny， corruption， cancer， eating disorder， kidnapping， torture， mutilation， queerphobia （hide spoiler）]There is this guy who is bored at his job， because he has work for roughly half an hour and then has to sit there， doing nothing， for hours。 He is so bored that he looks through the office building， and thus he finds the cabinet。The cabinet is filled with files on people who have weird abilities， kinda like superheroes but more like regular people weird stuff happens to。This book was weird from beginning to end。 The chapters read more like short stories that tie into each other， and it takes for the plot to materialise。 The first few chapters at first seem to be very， very unrelated。If I am honest， it was not the right choice to read a few pages before dropping off to sleep in the evening， but I read the second half in one go as I became aware of this。 As I thought I had the book figured out， something happened and it went in an entirely different direction which I did not like at all。This book has problems with fat-shaming and queerphobia。 There is a person who is not able to romantically love， and she is treated as other - as even weirder than a person who has a ginko tree growing from his finger。 Of course， it might be that the author， being Korean， is not aware of different queer identities， but still it felt so toxic。I kept waiting for this to become weird but fun， but the fun level declined even more as I got on。 No recommendation from me。The arc was provided by the publisher。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

I really enjoyed this odd little book。 Okay， at 400 pages it's maybe not that little， but it felt that way when I was reading it。 Mr。 Kong stumbles into the job of looking after the files in Cabinet 13 which contains the stories of people who exhibit weird symptoms。 There's a man with a tree growing out of his finger and a former conjoined twin who disengages from her body and buries herself on a regular basis。 Other characters are time skippers。 Each story ends with a sort of moral。 All of it i I really enjoyed this odd little book。 Okay， at 400 pages it's maybe not that little， but it felt that way when I was reading it。 Mr。 Kong stumbles into the job of looking after the files in Cabinet 13 which contains the stories of people who exhibit weird symptoms。 There's a man with a tree growing out of his finger and a former conjoined twin who disengages from her body and buries herself on a regular basis。 Other characters are time skippers。 Each story ends with a sort of moral。 All of it is connected through the narrator's story。 It's unusual。 I found it really compelling。 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Tina ，

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review。 Thank you to Angry Robot for the e-arc！Unfortunately， while I found the novel delightfully quirky， I was not compelled to finish past 40%。 The style of the novel was too disjointed for me to be interested in returning to it and the writing style didn’t suit my tastes。 While we do have a main character， he is so very uninteresting and passive that he lacked any sort of draw for me。 Likewise， we get so many strange little vignettes I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review。 Thank you to Angry Robot for the e-arc！Unfortunately， while I found the novel delightfully quirky， I was not compelled to finish past 40%。 The style of the novel was too disjointed for me to be interested in returning to it and the writing style didn’t suit my tastes。 While we do have a main character， he is so very uninteresting and passive that he lacked any sort of draw for me。 Likewise， we get so many strange little vignettes that they lack cohesion - I kept wondering what was tying them all together。 If something does， it takes far too long for this to happen， because I never happened upon it。 This book is either too weird or too tame for my reading style， or perhaps the oddities just aren’t to my taste。 It felt like a wisp of magical realism， rather than the punch of surrealism， and the former genre is one I generally can’t stand。 That being said， I’m still giving it three stars because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the book - it’s just not for me。 。。。more

Ashley ，

The Cabinet is a weird and surreal collection of stories about “Symtomers，” people who develop unique abilities or experience strange phenomena during their lives。 These people are thought to be evolving into a new type of species and their files live in Cabinet 13。I really enjoyed all of the unique traits that the people in Cabinet 13 experience。 They were super imaginative and highly entertaining to read about。 The book was a bit slow at times and it did take me a bit longer to get through。 Th The Cabinet is a weird and surreal collection of stories about “Symtomers，” people who develop unique abilities or experience strange phenomena during their lives。 These people are thought to be evolving into a new type of species and their files live in Cabinet 13。I really enjoyed all of the unique traits that the people in Cabinet 13 experience。 They were super imaginative and highly entertaining to read about。 The book was a bit slow at times and it did take me a bit longer to get through。 That being said I did enjoy it and if you are into speculative fiction you will as well。 The characters were definitely the stars of this collection。 Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC。 。。。more

jean ，

Goodness what a difficult book to describe and review， let alone decide if I enjoyed it！ It's crazy and surreal yet at its heart is a discussion about humanity and difference and I think I really enjoyed it。Thank you to netgalley and angry robot for an advance copy of this book Goodness what a difficult book to describe and review， let alone decide if I enjoyed it！ It's crazy and surreal yet at its heart is a discussion about humanity and difference and I think I really enjoyed it。Thank you to netgalley and angry robot for an advance copy of this book 。。。more

Pipa ，

This was an interesting and quirky book - unlike anything I’ve ever read before。 It’s about a man who works in a boring office job。 There is nothing at all for him to do at work - until one day he stumbles across a cabinet that he decides to break into just for something to do。 The contents of the cabinet contain files on people called ‘symptomers’ - people who exhibit strange symptoms that， in some way or other， call into question their level of ‘normal’ human functionality。 （For example， there This was an interesting and quirky book - unlike anything I’ve ever read before。 It’s about a man who works in a boring office job。 There is nothing at all for him to do at work - until one day he stumbles across a cabinet that he decides to break into just for something to do。 The contents of the cabinet contain files on people called ‘symptomers’ - people who exhibit strange symptoms that， in some way or other， call into question their level of ‘normal’ human functionality。 （For example， there’s one man who grows a tree out of his finger。 One with an actual doppelgänger。 A few who literally lose time， or alter their brains to ‘mosaic’ over memories。 All sorts of random things， and I won’t spoil the book by listing them all！）When I began reading， the accounts of the different symptomers made the novel read like multiple small anecdotes。 I enjoyed how the story began to interweave but sadly felt that in the second half my attention waned。 I was disappointed by the ending and felt that nothing was properly resolved。 The various accounts felt in equal parts really interesting and a bit pointless… and eventually I think I was most disappointed in how much potential this had to be amazing。 For some reason it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me。Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the EARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Megan ，

Inventive imagery and a lot to say about both magic and ennui， but our poor protagonist is just aggressively boring。

Dan ，

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Angry Robot for a copy of this book of speculative fiction。 Un-su Kim in his novel The Cabinet has written a story about not belonging and loneliness in a society where outsiders are looked at as things to be ridiculed or ignored。 Not an original sounding theme for a novel， but one that is told so oddly， so removed that the reader can't help but become immersed in the story。 The ending might be problematical to some， but the journey is well worth the trip My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Angry Robot for a copy of this book of speculative fiction。 Un-su Kim in his novel The Cabinet has written a story about not belonging and loneliness in a society where outsiders are looked at as things to be ridiculed or ignored。 Not an original sounding theme for a novel， but one that is told so oddly， so removed that the reader can't help but become immersed in the story。 The ending might be problematical to some， but the journey is well worth the trip， even if the destination might not be what the reader expects。 A young man， Kong， works for a corporate think tank， where he has nothing to do at all。 One day， he finds a cabinet that is locked and after a time， almost 10，000 possible combinations later he opens the cabinet to find a series of files on what the files call symtomers， people who have bizarre traits and characteristics。 These include gasoline drinker， glass eaters， a man with a tree growing out of his hand， etcetera。 Sort of like X-Files， only Kong is more bored than driven。 For his discovery Kong is made an assistant to Professor Kwon， who alone has overseen the files for years。 The case stories are interesting， more short stories than chapters in a book。 The plot really doesn't start going until well past the the halfway point of th novel。 As in X-Files there is a sinister group who wishes to know more about the files， and will do anything to get them。 Kong's life once so boring is suddenly in danger。 The short story case files are fun and interesting。 I would like to have known more about them， or have the whole book just be about the symtomers。 The ending like I said is different than I expected。 However it fits well with the them of alienation that runs through the book。 X-Files fans， David Lynch aficionados might enjoy this book。 I enjoyed it but the ending made me want more。 This is the second book that I have read by this author， and look forward to more translations of his work。 。。。more

Kat ，

Originally published in 2006， Un-su Kim’s The Cabinet is a beautifully structured， lyrical and humorous novel which challenges the binary of the ‘real’ and the ‘unreal’ with great skill and heart。 Full of witticisms and self-conscious asides， the narrator is an excellent conduit for the reader， charming and perplexing in equal measure。When looking to escape the drudgery of his bureaucratic day job， Mr。 Kong comes across a cabinet containing files on a number of ‘unusual’ people。 What follows is Originally published in 2006， Un-su Kim’s The Cabinet is a beautifully structured， lyrical and humorous novel which challenges the binary of the ‘real’ and the ‘unreal’ with great skill and heart。 Full of witticisms and self-conscious asides， the narrator is an excellent conduit for the reader， charming and perplexing in equal measure。When looking to escape the drudgery of his bureaucratic day job， Mr。 Kong comes across a cabinet containing files on a number of ‘unusual’ people。 What follows is a story （or， several stories） of quotidian magic， meditations on the tension between what is ‘normal’ and what is happening， and an ode to the primacy of human experience over legal or social process。 It feels particularly poignant and appropriate that this translation be published now， at a moment in which the end of the world is， as Kim might have it， speeding up。 This is absurdism at its best， Franz Kafka for the 21st century。I received a digital review copy of this book from NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Amanda ，

A curious cabinet of chimeraLowly lab assistant， Kong Deok-geun， happens across the secret files belonging to his employer， Professor Kwon。 The files are housed in Cabinet 13， and hold details on symptomers， that is， individuals who exhibit bizarre developmental symptoms which might be a sign of evolutionary ‘punctuated equilibrium’。 Each chapter （short story） takes the form of one symptomer’s case and trips along in the detached whimsical voice of narrator Kong。 The overarching story only start A curious cabinet of chimeraLowly lab assistant， Kong Deok-geun， happens across the secret files belonging to his employer， Professor Kwon。 The files are housed in Cabinet 13， and hold details on symptomers， that is， individuals who exhibit bizarre developmental symptoms which might be a sign of evolutionary ‘punctuated equilibrium’。 Each chapter （short story） takes the form of one symptomer’s case and trips along in the detached whimsical voice of narrator Kong。 The overarching story only starts to coalesce towards the end of Part 2， by which time the reader is up to the chimeral gills with odd for oddity’s sake。The tone turns darker， much darker， with the introduction of a syndicate which believes Professor Kwon has hybridised humans。 With themes on the acceleration of technological development and unsustainable use of the planet。Hugely imaginative， tonally lopsided and only partially captivating。 Worth a read。My thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC。 。。。more

Blake ，

Dear World，Please translate more of Un-su Kim’s work into English。Thanks，Blake

Brianna ，

What a super surreal read。 I was fairly certain I was walking into a work of interconnected short stories about a group of oddities （the symptomers）， but half way through my perspective changed。 This was really about the person watching over the cabinet holding their information。 Up until the last 25%， this feels like a dream you walk through almost in a daze。 The last bit comes at you and gives you whiplash。Very well done。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。

Kelly ，

“The Cabinet” followed the story of a man looking after files in Cabinet 13。 He reads these files and discovers the lives of people who try to turn into animals， start sprouting ginkgo trees from their fingers， or skip time。 These people are referred to as “symptomers” and often feel unhappy or displaced with their lives。 I found the storyline to be disjointed at times。 How the story started was not really part of the book， and I found it to be a bit random。 The stories about the symptomers read “The Cabinet” followed the story of a man looking after files in Cabinet 13。 He reads these files and discovers the lives of people who try to turn into animals， start sprouting ginkgo trees from their fingers， or skip time。 These people are referred to as “symptomers” and often feel unhappy or displaced with their lives。 I found the storyline to be disjointed at times。 How the story started was not really part of the book， and I found it to be a bit random。 The stories about the symptomers read more as short stories rather than one logical plot。 I feel removing some characters from the main characters storyline would have helped the flow。 I did enjoy the stories of the various individuals， and they contained elements of magical realism。 The translation was wonderfully done and overall， the book was well-written。 Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending me an advanced copy， in exchange for an honest review！ Publication date for “The Cabinet” is 12th October， 2021。 。。。more

Alwynne ，

Un-su Kim’s award-winning novel’s episodic and slightly surreal with a strange， fable-like quality。 At its core’s Kong Deok-Geun， an ordinary， Seoul office worker who ends up as assistant to mysterious Professor Kwon。 Kwon’s custodian of cabinet 13， a secret section of Deok-Geun’s company that coordinates research into a bizarre group， who may or may not be the product of covert experiments。 Deok-Geun’s job’s to document and support these subjects: people who’ve reinvented themselves by surgical Un-su Kim’s award-winning novel’s episodic and slightly surreal with a strange， fable-like quality。 At its core’s Kong Deok-Geun， an ordinary， Seoul office worker who ends up as assistant to mysterious Professor Kwon。 Kwon’s custodian of cabinet 13， a secret section of Deok-Geun’s company that coordinates research into a bizarre group， who may or may not be the product of covert experiments。 Deok-Geun’s job’s to document and support these subjects: people who’ve reinvented themselves by surgically removing their memories; Rip-Van-Winkle type “torporers” who fall into deep， long-lasting sleep; men and women who find themselves losing time; a gay man who falls for his doppelganger; and those who swear a strict diet of gasoline or glass is the only way to survive。 Deok-Geun’s work’s complicated by the string of cabinet 13 wannabes desperate for entry to this select circle， like the man looking for a spell to transform himself into one of the cats adored by the woman who rejected him。 Deok-Geun’s life experiences unfold alongside a series of anecdotes， and pseudo-scientific reports focused on members of cabinet 13。 Kim grounds these sections in reality by mixing fact and fiction， giving equal weight to mythic and academic explanations。 He even inserts real-life figures like Ludger Sylbaris sole survivor of a catastrophic volcanic eruption - who became an attraction in Barnum’s circus sideshow - but then gives him a rather different history。 It’s not a very well-balanced piece but I think Kim compensates for that in his inventive， playful treatment of his material。 This starts out as light， frequently amusing， fantasy but evolves into an oblique commentary on contemporary alienation， the absurdity of life in a frenzied， capitalist society。 So that cabinet 13’s subjects seem less weird or monstrous distortions， more enviable escape artists， evading the demands of an overwhelmingly stressful， conformist world。 Kim avoids the pitfalls of standard， realist depictions of South Korea as “Hell Joseon” which can tend towards cliché; instead he uses Deok-Geun’s increasingly nightmarish situation to construct a refreshingly unconventional， convincing portrait of anomie and the unrelenting loneliness of urban existence。 Kim's book's ably translated from the original Korean by Sean Lin Halbert。 Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Angry Robot for the arc。 。。。more

Alexander Peterhans ，

Everything about The Cabinet makes it sound like the perfect kind of book for me: it sounds monumentally quirky， and seems to be told in short story-ish format。 I mean， look at this line from the introduction:"All the information contained in the novel has been manufactured， modified， or distorted in some way， and should not be used as evidence in any argument， be it in a respected academic journal or a heated bar fight。"That's fun！ But what you get， is a book about the person looking after the Everything about The Cabinet makes it sound like the perfect kind of book for me: it sounds monumentally quirky， and seems to be told in short story-ish format。 I mean， look at this line from the introduction:"All the information contained in the novel has been manufactured， modified， or distorted in some way， and should not be used as evidence in any argument， be it in a respected academic journal or a heated bar fight。"That's fun！ But what you get， is a book about the person looking after the Cabinet， and very few actually quirky stories。 And the man looking after the Cabinet isn't a very interesting character。 "There’s Xin Tiandi who lives in Hong Kong and eats glass。 In fact， not only does he eat glass， he eats nothing but glass。 Xin Tiandi’s existence has led some scientists to claim that there are special calories in glass – calories humankind has yet to discover。"The few strange stories you do get， are inventive and interesting， and I wish there were more of them。 There is an overarching story about the mysterious Cabinet， but it's not very thrilling。The book teases the reader with possiblities， but ends up as a collection of missed opportunities。（Thanks to Angry Robot for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley） 。。。more

Emma ，

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review。 I was interested in this because I anticipated it to be vignette-style strange sci-fi storytelling。 And it sure was strange！ The novel takes you into the life of a man who seems to live in a version of our world where strange things are happening on a microscale to only a few people -- these people sprout mutations， experience psychosis， and are considered to be evolving faster than the re Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review。 I was interested in this because I anticipated it to be vignette-style strange sci-fi storytelling。 And it sure was strange！ The novel takes you into the life of a man who seems to live in a version of our world where strange things are happening on a microscale to only a few people -- these people sprout mutations， experience psychosis， and are considered to be evolving faster than the rest of us。 The vignettes cover some of these people， sure， but a lot of the story was the off-kilter background experiences of our narrator that range from an impossible bender to torture。 I was really never sure what to expect with each chapter here， and I think that I was left a bit too uneasy to say that I enjoyed this， 3 stars。 。。。more

Samantha Hehr ，

Bizarre stories found in a cabinet， inspired by tales you may have heard in the real world。 It’s a bit dry when the narrator goes on and on in first person。 I got lost in all the words。

I' ，

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review。 All opinions my own。 I spent half of the book delightfully confused and it was so very worth it。It is the first book I read from the author and it won’t be the last as I have absolutely adored the style。 The whole book orbits around some characters that we know as “symptomers” humans that for a variety of reasons have something that makes them exceptional and unique。 All of the notes of these group of people are contained in “the cabinet” I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review。 All opinions my own。 I spent half of the book delightfully confused and it was so very worth it。It is the first book I read from the author and it won’t be the last as I have absolutely adored the style。 The whole book orbits around some characters that we know as “symptomers” humans that for a variety of reasons have something that makes them exceptional and unique。 All of the notes of these group of people are contained in “the cabinet” which is being taken care off by the main character。 So it is very weird， and at times it look like the main plot line is fragmented or there is something that I have missed when reading， but I think it is all done purposely by the writer to create such effect。 I imagine how the main character may feel been thrown into this job and their own feeling are what the style is also trying to convey。 It is what attracted me in a first instance to the book and why I read it so quickly。 I found it extremely readable as I enjoy gathering hints from here and there。 It was very satisfying when everything started to click together and felt the author had done a great job by leading the story this way。 As far as I have understood it， I think this is a very good translation。 Definitely recommended。 。。。more

Sookie ，

An eclectic collection of stories that on a scale， go from ingenious to quite baffling。 Using a retrospective tone to end each story， the narration offers very little for connection but more on the "condition" of the person/human in question。 There reported files （a。k。a stories） from cabinet is that of humans who have extraordinary conditions like a ginko tree growing from a finger or a person who drinks only petrol。 It would seem like there is an underlying absurdness and madness to this but af An eclectic collection of stories that on a scale， go from ingenious to quite baffling。 Using a retrospective tone to end each story， the narration offers very little for connection but more on the "condition" of the person/human in question。 There reported files （a。k。a stories） from cabinet is that of humans who have extraordinary conditions like a ginko tree growing from a finger or a person who drinks only petrol。 It would seem like there is an underlying absurdness and madness to this but after every few stories， the author reiterates the point that the human evolution isn't that simple and some evolve different and this， perhaps， is the next stage。 I am glad to have read this interesting collection。 。。。more

Iza Brekilien ，

4。5 rounded up to 5 for Goodreads - this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion， there it is :"Yesterday upon the stairsI met a man who wasn't thereHe wasn't there again todayI wish that he would go away"。When I started reading this novel， these lines by Hughes Mearns came back to me instantly。 If you don't like absurd， kafkaian， nonsense universes， pass your way。 If your mind is open to it， enjoy ！ But even if it isn't， please stick to reading some more because e 4。5 rounded up to 5 for Goodreads - this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion， there it is :"Yesterday upon the stairsI met a man who wasn't thereHe wasn't there again todayI wish that he would go away"。When I started reading this novel， these lines by Hughes Mearns came back to me instantly。 If you don't like absurd， kafkaian， nonsense universes， pass your way。 If your mind is open to it， enjoy ！ But even if it isn't， please stick to reading some more because everything isn't about absurd situations， or possible weird human mutations， it's a reflection of how life can appear to people who wish for a different existence but are stuck with no possibility of escaping。 In this cabinet are files about symptomers， people who lose time， or grow things/animals inside their body， eat weird things， stuff like that， people who are misfits in this Korean society filled with pressure and find it hard to adapt。 Is working in a firm that pays you for doing absolutely nothing all day such a nightmare - one of the favourite Korean expressions being "work hard" ！ The stories in these files are centered around a professor researching those symptomers and hiring a new assistant whose boredom pushes him to read the files。All this is told in a funny， inventive way even if the universe itself is really dark。 I loved the craziness of this book but also the deeper meaning and I'm very glad I requested it and discovered this author。 。。。more

Kristine ，

The Cabinet by Un-su Kim is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late August。Short stories put to paper by a second-person narrator， Deokgeun， who works alongside a Dr Kwon and writes in a Roald Dahl， 'Isn't that remarkable' kind of way of qualitative interviews that he sometimes takes as an appointment setter before being seen by the doctor。 Otherwise， he muses over the odd things that happen in his own life and that of his girlfriend， Jeong-eun。 It's very easy to lose yourself in the imaginat The Cabinet by Un-su Kim is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late August。Short stories put to paper by a second-person narrator， Deokgeun， who works alongside a Dr Kwon and writes in a Roald Dahl， 'Isn't that remarkable' kind of way of qualitative interviews that he sometimes takes as an appointment setter before being seen by the doctor。 Otherwise， he muses over the odd things that happen in his own life and that of his girlfriend， Jeong-eun。 It's very easy to lose yourself in the imaginatively absurd details of each story to the point that some aspects seem plausible。 。。。more

Bagus ，

The Cabinet is a collection of stories about symptomers， some humans who experience weird symptoms and are deemed as the continuation of human’s evolution。 Mr Kong， our narrator， ended up working in his job to handle the archiving of Cabinet 13 at a research centre due to his intense boredom。 He was tired of not having enough workloads to do in his job， that one day he decided to try to open Cabinet 13 after trying more than 7000 lock combinations and read about the symptomers。 He peered into th The Cabinet is a collection of stories about symptomers， some humans who experience weird symptoms and are deemed as the continuation of human’s evolution。 Mr Kong， our narrator， ended up working in his job to handle the archiving of Cabinet 13 at a research centre due to his intense boredom。 He was tired of not having enough workloads to do in his job， that one day he decided to try to open Cabinet 13 after trying more than 7000 lock combinations and read about the symptomers。 He peered into the stories of people experiencing weird symptoms inside the Cabinet and caught off guard by Professor Kwon who gave him intense tasks as his assistant。The book itself is a mix between facts and made-up stories。 The first chapter opens with the story of Ludger Sylbaris， an Afro-Caribbean man who was one of the three survivors during the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée in the city of Saint-Pierre on the Caribbean island of Martinique。 Sylbaris survived the catastrophe due to the fact that he was imprisoned in a tower prison which turned out to be one of the most sheltered places in the city。 It was his bad luck to be imprisoned that allowed him to survive。 What follows is the story of how humans are thought on the brink of their extinction as a species， much like the end of dinosaurs ended in the past。 Each symptomer’s story is far from boring， although at first， they might not seem related to each other。 Mr Kong begins to narrate some weird stories of people who consume gasoline on a daily basis to replace water， people who eat glass as though it’s a nice cuisine， a guy called Mr Hwang who grew a ginkgo tree inside his hand， some time-skippers who frequently lost time， and many others。 Initially， I was thinking if this is just a collection of random stories about symptomers without any plots whatsoever， but I turned out to be wrong as the conflict began to surface with the death of Professor Kwon and the task of guarding the data inside Cabinet 13 that befall to Mr Kong。 The story of the symptomers is absurd and highly original that I thought for a while that they might exist in our real world。 Kim Un-su has the gift of mixing real scientific facts with made-up stories that it does not feel like reading a science-fiction， but rather a really curated research account told in the form of fiction。 Not every story is equally good， however， they do seem to me like something between facts and fiction。 I do agree with some notions being pointed out by Kim Un-su through this book， that we as humans might be in our most advanced stage in evolution and there might be nothing further after this。 We live in an age of anxiety， constantly worried by bad news and incoming notifications on our phones。 As Kim Un-su highlights， insurance， stocks， real estate， investments， the things that drive the modern economy is based on the notion of anxiety， the fear to face the uncertainties of what lies ahead。 We are no longer the calm hunter-gatherer who only thought about what they’re going to eat for the day， and leaving the uncertainties for tomorrow。 In short， we are constantly being pursued by the clock that keeps ticking。 。。。more

Margrieta ，

An interesting book。 Collection of different life like stories。 I really enjoyed this book， in Japanese author works， there is always present a hint of life， true life。 This book isn't exclusion。 An interesting book。 Collection of different life like stories。 I really enjoyed this book， in Japanese author works， there is always present a hint of life， true life。 This book isn't exclusion。 。。。more

Opal Edgar ，

I like magical realism and the type of fantasy that just peppers a little magic into everyday life。 This is what I expected to find here。 There is that， but there is way of looking at the world which I couldn't align with and that made it hard for me to engage in the book。 It's as if it kept the weird but threw out any sense of whimsical - which is usually what I seek。 I particularly disliked the main character， his cold attitude even though I am sure it is not meant to be read that way， and the I like magical realism and the type of fantasy that just peppers a little magic into everyday life。 This is what I expected to find here。 There is that， but there is way of looking at the world which I couldn't align with and that made it hard for me to engage in the book。 It's as if it kept the weird but threw out any sense of whimsical - which is usually what I seek。 I particularly disliked the main character， his cold attitude even though I am sure it is not meant to be read that way， and the cruelty found in that book。 There is a very detached way of looking at the body that repelled me and an accepting even welcoming of casual suffering that I didn't enjoy。 It is sad because there are a lot of interesting ideas and a multitude of possibilities and stories。。。 but just not for me。 This is kind of the contrary to uplifting。If you are fans of Korean cinema， especially the strange and darker twists and spins they can put on things， if you are looking for a pinch of "Parasites"， or a different take on Misfits， this might be more in your cord。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Cabinet

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Cabinet&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Cabinet&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0