The Old Woman with the Knife
​​​by Gu Byeong-mo

New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books of 2022
NPR Best Books of the Year, 2022
A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick
A Most Anticipated Read in LitHub, CrimeReads, Thrillist, and Popsugar

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The kinetic story of a sixty-five-year-old female assassin who faces an unexpected threat in the twilight of her career--this is an international bestseller and the English language debut from an award-winning South Korean author 

At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. She lives modestly in a small apartment, with only her aging dog, a rescue named Deadweight, to keep her company. There are expectations for people her age—that she'll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin.

Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses--for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she's known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw's world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end.

A sensation in South Korea, and now translated into English for the first time by Chi-Young Kim, The Old Woman with the Knife is an electrifying, singular, mordantly funny novel about the expectations imposed on aging bodies and the dramatic ways in which one woman chooses to reclaim her agency.

Order from your local bookseller or Amazon.

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Reviews

"Darkly funny, this South Korean novel examines the universal challenge of aging while maintaining societal relevance." —The Washington Post

"Sardonic and funny, as it probes expectations around aging women and their bodies." —LitHub

​"Skillfully rendered...a thriller with heart."
—Kirkus Reviews

​"A brist narrative that offers a thoughtful reflection on societal attitudes on the aging process . . . In Kim's fluid translation, the novel . . . offer[s] a broader social commentary." —New York Times Book Review
 
"An unparalleled story only Gu Byeong-mo could create, with a groundbreaking female character as captivating as any in literature."
—Kyung-Sook Shin, Man Asian Prize–winning author of Please Look After Mom

"The Old Woman with the Knife is a wild thrill of a novel. I found myself clutching my chest as I turned each page: from fright, heartbreak, and from the devastating gallows humor. It is about revenge and retribution, aging and death, and the quotidian woes of a bureaucratic job—even if that job is murder-for-hire. Hornclaw, our 65-year-old assassin main character, defies expectations: she is brutal, thoughtful, and almost as tender as her beloved dog, Deadweight, who truly steals the show."
—Gabriella Burnham, author of It Is Wood, It Is Stone

"A resonant K-noir treat."
—Luke Jennings, author of the Killing Eve series

“The Old Woman with the Knife is a deeply compassionate and rebellious novel. Thrilling and richly meditative, the novel excavates memory, modern life on the edge, and the absolute persistence of the self. With poetic grace, Gu Byeong-mo’s assassin transcends age, power, and the expectations of a society bent on erasing her.”
—Michael Zapata, author of The Lost Book of Adana Moreau

"The Old Woman with the Knife is unique—a gripping thriller as well as a deeply thoughtful book about out attitudes to ageing and grief. Wonderful stuff."
—Doug Johnstone, author of Tombstoning

"This startling work upends every stereotype of old ladies and killers...unforgettable."
—First Clue