From her first appearance, Hornclaw appears to be a regular sixty-five-year-old woman; a senior citizen worrying about taking care of her beloved dog, Deadweight. But unlike other sixty-five-year-old citizens, Hornclaw made a choice a long time ago to live alone, almost closed off from the world. She has no close friends, nor family members and only lives for her job. The job she chose has the dubious title of disease control specialist. It is during this particular year that events will have begun to challenge Hornclaw's mindset, especially as she is getting older, and she will have to face choices from her distant past, as well as her present. But will Hornclaw make it out alive? 

THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE by Gu Byeong-mo isn't like a typical psychological thriller filled with nonstop action as well as planning and counter-planning. It is more of a meditation and surprisingly it is written as if Hornclaw's career is ordinary rather than extraordinary. In other words, there is no glamorizing of what Hornclaw is doing, but instead there is humanizing. 

The parts that I enjoyed the most about THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE by Gu Byeong-mo are the brief glimpses into Hornclaw's history and of how Hornclaw is depicted as very human, especially as evidenced by the last few chapters. THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE by Gu Byeong-mo also is very readable and relatable to any reader who is seeking out either a story of an older and unusual protagonist or a reader who is interested in Korean literature. 

This is a great book for somebody who wants a story about an unusual protagonist, or a character with an uncommon profession, or is interested in studying social psychology, then THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE by Gu Byeong-mo might be just what the doctor has ordered. 

Book Summary