A Thousand Blues
​​​by Cheon Seon-Ran

Forthcoming March 13, 2025​

Discover the Korean runaway prizewinning bestseller for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Klara and the Sun

2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman discovers one of the humanoid jockeys named Coli lying on a scrap heap, recently discarded after falling off a horse. Taking it home to be fixed, she does not yet know how this act will change her life.

Her sister's beloved race horse is heading for the knackers' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To remind the horse of healthier times, Coli and the sisters hatch a special plan for her to compete in another race.

But it will be no ordinary event—they will train her to run the slowest time of her life.

In the heat of the race, the horse begins to gallop too fast—her joints are at breaking point.

To save his friend, Coli must commit one final act of bravery ...

Radiant, urgent, deeply moving, A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving powerful voice to those left behind in a fast-moving world of toxic productivity and consumerism. Brimming with heart, hope and rage, it shows with startling clarity how, by slowing down, we can fully experience life's wonder and joy.

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Reviews

"A stunning story of love, care and sacrifice."
—Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny

“A dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind.”
—Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm Horizon