The Invisible Hotel

The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham is a haunting novel that explores the lasting impact of the Korean War on a small South Korean village. The story follows Yewon, a young woman living in Dalbit, where families preserve the bones of their ancestors in bathtubs as a way to honor those lost to war. Yewon is plagued by eerie dreams of a mysterious, decaying hotel with endless rooms, each holding a quiet sense of dread. As she deals with her brother’s military service near the North Korean border, her sister’s struggles, and her mother’s declining health, she meets Ms. Han, an elderly refugee from the North who is desperately searching for her imprisoned brother. Their encounter forces Yewon to confront the hidden traumas of her family and country. Blending literary horror with gothic and speculative elements, The Invisible Hotel is a powerful reflection on generational pain, memory, and a nation's divided history.