Plant Lady

Quotes

“In every chapter, the viciousness of Yoohee’s vengeance istempered with a dark and fizzling sense of humor reminiscent of other recent Korean fare, like Park Chan-wook’s movie No Other Choice, and the TV sensation Squid Game... A fecund fantasy of feminist revenge.”—The New York Times

"Somehow gentle yet full of quiet rage, Plant Lady is sparse, haunting and timely, but above all, it's compulsively readable. I tore through it, cheering for Yoohee the entire way."—Parini Shroff, bestselling author of The Bandit Queens

"A woman abandons her office job to open a nursery that sells more than plants in Korean journalist Kang’s brilliant debut...Smoothly translated by Tan, Kang’s prose is both propulsive and plainspoken, and glimpses of Yoohee’s past lend the narrative significant emotional depth. The result is an exquisite ode to female rage."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This atmospheric, twisty, and darkly humorous novel has a strong message about men's abuse of women. Readers of relationship fiction will be cheering for Yoohee and her plants."—Booklist, starred review

“Interwoven with botanical insights and offering much for book groups to discuss, this book will be of interest to fans of suspenseful stories.”—Library Journal

“… Kang, a Korean writer, has terrific composure in capturing both the cozy vibe of the plant shop and the violence Yoohee unleashes within it. Kang gestures toward the thriller—she introduces a detective to her story—but her audience is those who aren’t in it for a traditional thriller’s payoffs; they are in it for the thrill of guiltlessly playing bystander to vigilantism enacted on behalf of a justifiably aggrieved group. A tidy little feminist revenge fantasy with thriller signposts.”—Kirkus

“At The Plant Shop, bad men have a way of becoming fertilizer, and Kang uses that dark humor to explore misogyny, power, and what blooms when women finally fight back.”—Parade

“For readers in search of a low-stakes cozy read but who tire of the same repetitive joy-and-rainbows formula, Plant Lady is the perfect step out of the comfort zone—just far enough for a whiff of something new, but still firmly rooted in the nurturing soil of literary healing.”—The Korea Times

"[A] thoroughly entertaining, admittedly chilling, distinctly satisfying novel...With astute clarity and poignant empathy…Kang powerfully presents a well-deserved antidote to male violence."—Shelf Awareness

“Despite its dark plot, Plant Lady is a novel of redemption and healing. Yoohee brings us her story with grace and humor. And gravitas. There isn’t another author alive who writes like Minyoung Kang...at least not one currently on the hit list.”—BookReporter

“The plant lady is tense, bloody, and surprisingly heartfelt. Yoohee may blend into the background and be unassuming to the people around her, but to the reader, she is unforgettable.”—The Southern Bookseller Review

 “…a must for folks who delight in the macabre and have maybe watched Little Shop of Horrors one too many times.”—PureWow