REVIEW: The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun

A perfectly-formed eco-thriller and a top contender for Book of the Year already.

THE DISASTER TOURIST by Yun Ko-Eun, translated by Lizzie Buehler Published 14th May 2020 by Profile Books

As anyone who has read a few of my reviews will probably have spotted by now, I'm a huge fan of translated Asian fiction, particularly in shorter forms, and it's clear from the past few years that shorter Asian novels are becoming increasingly popular in the West. From runaway success Convenience Store Woman to the newly-released and critically acclaimed Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982, more people are reading these types of books than ever before, and accordingly, publishers are seeing the benefits and opportunities that the genre offers. For readers like me, who are constantly on the hunt for more in the genre, it's rather wonderful.

As a result, when I spotted the beautifully colourful spine of The Disaster Tourist on my Twitter timeline a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy pretty darn quickly. It combined an eye-catching jacket with a punchy, one-line pitch that hooked me in straight away. Luckily, Profile were kind enough to send a copy my way and it jumped all the way to the top of my TBR pile. Less than 24 hours later, I'd finished the book, and wow.

The Disaster Tourist follow Yona, a programming coordinator for Jungle, a travel company that specialises in package holidays and tours to locations ravaged by disasters. Options include areas hit by tsunamis, earthquakes, sinkholes, nuclear incidents and more. This is immediately a fascinating concept, particularly when you start digging and discover that this industry exists in the real world - look no further than the companies that organise trips to Chernobyl or areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Yona has been working diligently for Jungle for years, but one day she's touched inappropriately by a senior colleague. She doesn't want to push it, fearing for her position, but news spreads around the company and the issue moves out of Yona's control. Rather than tackle the problem, Jungle send Yona on a research trip, to evaluate one of the company's worst-performing trips. And so, Yona finds herself en route to the desert island of Mui, where a sinkhole opened years before, swallowing a vast proportion of the island's population. But when those with vested interests in Mui discover that the scheme is under threat, Yona is dragged into a nefarious scheme that could change her prospects forever.

It's an absolutely ingenius concept, and one I'm shocked not to have seen utilised before. But does the writing and plot live up to it?

In short, yes it does. As with much Asian literature, the writing is clear, precise and sparse. There's very little unnecessary language, with each sentence and paragraph carefully constructed from just the right amount of words to illustrate the scene without needing to overload the reader with description or superfluous adjectives. It makes reading an incredibly crisp experience, and surprisingly compulsive too.

The plot is taut and well-paced throughout, and uses a shocking real world concept to tell a biting satirical tale that feels worryingly plausible. Throughout, the writer uses real-world disasters as examples and place-setting, some of which I'd never heard about, with some so shocking that I immediately assumed they were fictionalised in the first instance (like towns struggling through decades-long underground fires and trash islands larger than countries). It's cleverly done and in many ways makes the narrative feel like it could actually be happening, particularly with the current state of the world.

The characters are all well-constructed, and I really loved the way that only certain characters earned names. Most are defined solely by their role - 'the writer', 'the manager' etc. - with only four or five characters named throughout. It's an interesting device that illustrates far more about each character's significance and role than one might first assume.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book. I devoured it incredibly quickly and found myself left craving more. It's fantastically readable, satisfyingly biting, perfectly formed story of human folly and greed that will leave you questioning your own thoughts and position in society. I would wholeheartedly recommend to all readers, and hope to see much more from the author in years to come.

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I received a review copy from Profile in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.