Description: A gripping and incisive psychological gameshow drama from one of the biggest stars in Korean fiction, author of million-copy bestseller The Dallergut Dream Department Store.
Brief description: Sandy Joosun Lee is a Korean-to-English translator based in Seoul. She studied Literature/Writing in University of California, San Diego. Her translations include Won-pyung Sohn's Almond (HarperVia, 2020) and Miye Lee's DallerGut Dream Department Store duology (Wildfire, 2023). She also works in animation, translating and developing animated content, which includes The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021) and Star Wars: Visions (2023). She is a member of the translator collective Smoking Tigers.
Review Quotes:
"Intriguing . . . On the surface, this is a quirky story about reality TV and people behaving badly, but Lee gets the prize for turning it into a tale of relatable workaday characters attempting to understand how other people perceive them, and why people act the way they do . . . You won't feel like a traitor if you pick up this insightful reality-show thriller." --Kirkus Reviews
"After the charming sweetness of her globally best-selling Dallergut duology, Lee pivots toward the dark side . . . Lee interweaves plenty of heartfelt poignancy, deftly earning Ice Cube an empathetic audience." --Booklist "A perfect distillation of how reality tv intensifies the prejudices and irritations of the quotidian (and a great way to channel your frustration at whoever keeps microwaving fish in the break room)." --CrimeReads, "The Best International Fiction of April 2026" "Lee captures the gossipy appeal of reality TV as her characters size up perfect strangers in the name of lining their pockets. Concise, thought-provoking, and entertaining, this goes down smooth." --Publishers Weekly "Trapped in a tense psychological game . . . the contestants are forced to confront an unsettling question: Who among them is truly the villain?" --Book Bub, "The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of Spring 2026" "Packs a punch . . . You'll definitely see your colleagues in a different light after reading this." --The Express (UK) "Textured and steady, Lim's restrained narration brings depth to each subtle, unfolding revelation." --Kirkus Audio "A light book with deep meaning." --WOSU's "All Sides Weekend" "A fantastical narrative." --CNN on THE DALLERGUT DREAM DEPARTMENT STORE "All things are possible in Lee's captivating world." --Shelf Awareness on THE DALLERGUT DREAM DEPARTMENT STORE "A comforting story of dreams, lives, and the ways people process all that reality offers them." --Kirkus Reviews on THE DALLERGUT DREAM DEPARTMENT STORE