Violets Jun'ichi Watanabe and the temperamental Queen of

and the temperamental Queen of Hearts

is considered by many to be the first novel in English

These one-acts—ranging from the haunting

When the farmer tries to take the dog back

and everyone has seemingly perfect Instagram-ready lives

Violets Jun'ichi Watanabe and the temperamental Queen ofAt twenty two, San is adrift and alone when she stumbles into a job at a modest flower shop in the heart of Seoul. Shaped by a childhood marked by rejection, she moves through life quietly and invisiblyfragile, stifled, and largely unseen in a society that demands conformity, especially from women. As a languid, sweltering summer unfolds, San finds herself surrounded by an unusual cast: a silent shop owner, a sharp tongued coworker, reticent farmers,