Book Review: The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo (translated by Chi-Young Kim)

My rating: 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“She exists like an extra in a movie, woven seamlessly into a scene, behaving as if she had always been there, a retiree thrilled to take care of her grandchildren in her golden years, living the rest of her days with a frugality baked into her bones.”

Our protagonist is a sixty-five-year-old Korean assassin who goes by the name of Hornclaw and has been in the business of “disease-control” for forty-five years and counting, associated with the “agency” she helped build with her late mentor Ryu. She is smart and precise, approaching her target with an almost clinical detachment focusing on the “how” of the extermination of the “vermin” in question and not bothering the “why”.

“You can’t last in this line of work if you show your feelings. It doesn’t matter if it’s rage or discomfort or regret. The most important thing is to let insults wash over you. And you’re a woman, which means you’ll often have to ignore insults.”

She lives with her dog, a rescue she has named Deadweight who understands her perfectly and has “learned her human’s preferences and understands that she still finds it strange to feel the warmth of a living being and how unbearable it is for her to get used to it.” Despite her age, Hornclaw still works in the field with her weapon of choice - a knife laced with poison. Though alert and agile, she feels her physical strength and stamina gradually diminishing and though not quite ready to retire, she knows that her days of active involvement are drawing to a close. She feels a bit out of place among the younger “disease-control specialists” entering the field. She understands how the younger members of the “agency” view her in light of her age. One particular specialist, Bullfight, is openly disrespectful, seems to hold a grudge and appears to be keeping tabs on her. One night, she is injured in the course of an assignment and is forced to take the help of a young doctor instead of the regular physician who has been doing work for the “agency” – an encounter that impacts Hornclaw on a personal level, resulting in an unexpected turn of events leading up to an action-packed finale.

The narrative is sharp and engaging and takes us through Hornclaw’s life as an assassin in the present day with her backstory revealed through flashbacks. The author’s characterization of Hornclaw is superb- with both her detachment and attachments depicted with aplomb. The author excels at both describing the tense moments of Hornclaw’s work-life as well as the more mellow moments of reflection and introspection. The protagonist, Hornclaw, commands respect and admiration. This book is part thriller and part character study with a strong female protagonist. The narrative is well-paced for the most part and even in the slower segments, I did not lose interest. However, if you are expecting an intensely suspenseful, twisty story, this is not it though it has some truly action-packed moments. The writing is direct and factual with emphasis on Hornclaw’s thoughts and actions as she contemplates retirement from a long career in the “disease-control” game and as she faces one last dangerous confrontation that is more personal than professional. I was attracted to this book based on the premise and was not disappointed. Overall, I found The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo (translated by Chi-Young Kim) an intriguing read that was put hard to down.

“Maybe all living beings get to experience a bright shining moment at least once in their lives, precisely because they all crumble like overripe fruit, disappear like fireworks in the night sky.”