The Old Woman with the Knife
Ratings12
Average rating3.7
*A New York Times Editors' Choice* Pick *A Most Anticipated Read in LitHub, CrimeReads, Thrillist, and Popsugar* The kinetic story of a sixty-five-year-old female assassin who faces an unexpected threat in the twilight of her career—this is an international bestseller and the English language debut from an award-winning South Korean author At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. She lives modestly in a small apartment, with only her aging dog, a rescue named Deadweight, to keep her company. There are expectations for people her age—that she'll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin. Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses—for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she's known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw's world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end. A sensation in South Korea, and now translated into English for the first time by Chi-Young Kim, The Old Woman with the Knife is an electrifying, singular, mordantly funny novel about the expectations imposed on aging bodies and the dramatic ways in which one woman chooses to reclaim her agency.
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I really liked it a lot. The writing was very stripped down, almost flattened, but in a good way. It felt like the author was telling you about things that happened, just the facts, and you could read into it what you wanted. Do you want to place symbolism on this thing? Go for it; the author won't stop you, or help you. Do you want to psychoanalyze why this character reacted that way? Go for it; the author won't stop you, or explain it to you. This could feel like the author abandoning the reader, but instead it felt like the author trusting us. It was exciting, both in plot and in style.
This would have made a great movie in the 90ies. A stone hard killer, who's a loner, never deviates from their self-set rules, and is therefore really good at their job. The twist - she's an old woman. And at the end of her life, she gets a little sentimental. Cue - a murderous villain who tests her newfound sentimentality and also unearths a story from her past.
It's plot-driven and quite short and entertaining. All good, yet, I am not so sure this movie would work well these days. Especially since it's lacking depth, and any form of humor.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a Quick Takes Catch-up post, emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.
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I think I need to read this, so I can focus on some things I didn't give enough attention to (and a couple of the names confused me a bit, so I know I missed some things while I figured out the context).
But this story about an aging assassin who might be having memory issues, and could be developing a conscience of sorts—while trying to put a young up-and-comer in their place was just great.
Every front worked—the emotional moments, the dry wit, the action and intrigue, the character development...all solidly delivered. I'd probably have rated this higher if I'd read it and could've been more careful in understanding. Strongly recommended.
Originally posted at irresponsiblereader.com.
