Len of the Swamp

Author's Note

“There was no place to hide in a world that had suddenly gone mad.”
The power of loving and beautiful solidarity to overcome the cruel night

The new full-length novel, "Wren of the Swamp" (Changbi Youth Literature 137), by Choi Sang-hee, a writer who has demonstrated a unique sensibility in Korean youth literature with a compassionate gaze toward the small and marginalized and an imagination that breaks down cracks, has been published.
In a future where genetic engineering has become commonplace, a series of incidents occur where teenagers with seizures harm citizens.
To address this, a call-up is issued for the youth, and fifteen-year-old Len and the children are taken to the facility and face unbelievable violence.
The concise yet powerful sentences vividly convey the sense of violence's brutal and chilling nature, while the tender and strong bond created by Len and the children's friendship is truly special.
Last winter, we witnessed the power that justified violence, and what enabled us to overcome that cruel and dark night was the courage to rise above fear and unite.
This is a novel I confidently recommend to all those who are moving forward with a handful of light after a harsh night.


The summons has been given.

Is there any safe place for us in this world?

A video that appeared on YouTube one day.
The video, which at first glance appears to be a movie set, shows a male student harming citizens as if in a zombie movie, set in an ordinary subway station.
After that, incidents occur all over the country where teenagers suddenly gain supernatural strength and attack those around them.
Eventually, the government issues a call-up order to youths aged 13 to 19.
Children are herded into a remote facility guarded by armed soldiers under the pretext of preventing accidents and 'treating' the youth.


Fifteen-year-old Lendo couldn't avoid the summons.
All their belongings, including their cell phones, were taken away, and the children were given only dark blue shirts, pants, toothbrushes, towels, and blankets.
Children are assigned to dozens of rooms and live with limited meal times and movement.
While they are repeatedly subjected to meaningless and violent training, claiming that obeying orders is the only way to maintain order, the children who fall behind disappear without anyone knowing where they are taken, and it is a situation where you never know who in the same room will have a seizure and attack each other.
Will Ren be able to survive here safely?

Breaking down the world of violence
A small but affectionate hand

What makes it possible to endure this terrible and cruel life is none other than the presence of a special friend.
The spirit we met on the bus heading to the facility has the charm to instantly lighten the mood even when we are scared and tense.
Wi-ryeong, who was bullied outside of school due to being taller and bigger than his peers, understands Ren, who has eyes that are different from others, better than anyone else.


Ren looks into the spirit's eyes.
The spirit does not avoid.
There is no expression of strangeness, no look of curiosity, no sign of hesitation.
No one else looked at Ren's eyes like that except his mother.
Maybe you'll make some friends.
Page 89

While relying on each other to endure their anxiety, Ren and Wi-ryeong meet an unexpected new friend.
The playground is in chaos under the colonel's order to dig the ground while competing in groups. Someone helps Ren avoid the shovels that are rushing towards him.
The child who quickly disappeared had odd eyes, one blue and one brown, like Ren's.
The child I met later introduces himself as Nagi and says he came from the 'swamp'.
Ren, Wiryung, and Nagi quickly become close because of their commonality of being unusual.
Upon hearing about Nagi's hometown, Ren and Wiryung are amazed by the stories of the swamp people who live far from the civilization of the city and who seem to have extraordinary abilities.
Ren is confused when he first meets a child with eyes like his own… … .
What is the relationship between Ren and the swamp?

“There is still a handful of light
The world is moving towards it.”

Meanwhile, rumors are spreading among the children that the cause of their seizures is the genetic manipulation procedure called Next Generation.
The Next Generation Project, which aims to combine 'better' genes with the motto of "a better future for children" (page 12), raises questions about what the standards for "the ideal child that everyone dreams of" (page 82) are and whether it is right to set them.


Nagi, who came from the swamp, Ren, who had eyes similar to his, and Wiryung, who had an unusually large body, were children who were ostracized and outcasts because they did not receive the Next Generation treatment and fell outside the category of 'normal'.
Children who were discriminated against by the mainstream, children who were bullied because they were small and weak, begin to gather one by one with Len and Wiryung's group, encourage each other, and dream of escape.


A society that deprives us of freedom and normalizes brutal violence in the name of order and protection was not only in novels but was right before our eyes last winter.
What helped me overcome that cruel and dark night was none other than my faith in a handful of light.
This story, which is explored through the joined hands of Ren, Wiryung, and Nagi, contains a fervent hope that illuminates the darkness with solidarity and friendship.
It is a beautiful novel that conveys courage and will to overcome fear to everyone who has endured a long night.