Tiger Season: A Novel of Korea
In the present day, Eddie Profar is dying. He flashes back to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea in 1968, where he and another soldier are patrolling. They find a tunnel that appears to be in progress from North to South Korea, but all the North Korean soldiers are dead. They appear to have been mauled by some type of beast, possibly a tiger that roams the DMZ, according to legend. During this time, Eddie also meets a South Korean kisaeng, or courtesan, and falls in love, which creates even more problems.
The writing in this novel is absolutely genius. As older Eddie lays dying, his thoughts are so frankly described. “He felt a lonesome anguish, a growing wish to remain on earth at least one more day before his brain broke like an egg and spilled its nonsense everywhere.”
In 1968, the portrayal of the landscape of the DMZ and the grim realities of military life immediately immerses the reader in that place and time. The author is well versed in Korean folklore and customs, as well as US military rules, regulations, and jargon, and I felt completely transported to every setting. The horrors and consequences of war are made plain on each page. The description of the women working in a 1960s Korean brothel by their employer is eye-opening: “It is our national treasure, these young women. Since two million civilians were killed in the war and all of our industry destroyed, this has been our cash crop, so to speak. As important as rice.”
The tiger in the story is a mystery, seeming both real and mythical, and sometimes the reader is able to see its point of view. This brilliant, bold, magical novel is an honest look at the aftermath of war. Highly recommended.
