Sublimation, Isabel J. Kim
Sublimation, Isabel J. Kim
List: $28.99 | Sale: $20.29
Club: $14.49

Sublimation

Author: Isabel J. Kim

Narrator: Major Curda, Michelle H. Lee

Unabridged: 12 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/02/2026


Synopsis

"...[Narrators Michelle H. Lee and Major Curda] provide stellar performances, balancing stark logic and raw emotion, fighting to understand and accept impossible situations about identity, selfhood, memory, and creating a future... or not.” — Booklist (Starred Review)A LIBRARYREADS BONUS PICK FOR JUNE | A most-anticipated title from USA Today, Glamour, LitHub, New Scientist, Time Out, Ms. Magazine, The Nerd Daily, Goodreads, Library Journal, LibraryReads, Bookstr, and more | With starred review from Publishers Weekly and BookList

Doppelgängers, corporate intrigue, heartbreak, betrayal, and the harsh permanence of the border: Sublimation is a thrilling and provocative debut for fans of Severance that asks what you'd sacrifice for a different life from award-winning author Isabel J. Kim.

“One of the best debuts of the year.” —John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter VillainThe border cuts you in two.When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.

She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.

How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?“After Sublimation, the immigrant story will never be the same.” —Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

About Isabel J. Kim

Isabel J. Kim lives near New York City in an apartment filled with books and swords. She is the author of numerous short stories and has won the Nebula, Locus, and the Shirley Jackson Award. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and reprinted in multiple best of the year anthologies. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing law or podcasting. Sublimation is her first novel.

About Major Curda

Major Curda is a multi-disciplinary mixed Asian-American actor/storyteller who’s collaborated on various projects for Theatre, Film, Television, and Voiceover. Regardless of medium, Major strives to find the humanity in every character and honor the stakes of each world, when narrating they especially enjoy playing with accents/dialects and bringing magical worlds to life. Major has had the privilege of voicing half a dozen audiobooks with Macmillan and they look forward to many more. Major was recently selected to be an inaugural member of the Trailblazer Cohort as part of the Anna Arts Deadline Awards. Emerging Artist/Mentee of The Actors Center. Alumnus of Carnegie Mellon, SITI Skidmore, and Cherubs. @Majorly.MC.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Liana on May 11, 2026

4.5! What would you sacrifice for a different life? The border cuts you in two. In this world, you leave a copy of your self behind when you enter a new country. Some, choose to stay in contact with their copies, aka doppelgängers, while others never speak to their other selves again. Soyoung Rose Ka......more

Goodreads review by L (Nineteen Adze) on November 18, 2025

11/18/25: I just read the first POV segment last night, and waiting for the paper ARC in January/February so I can more fully engage with The Text (TM) is going to test my patience like nothing else. I (don't) apologize in advance for what a complete freak I'm going to be about this whole book. Seco......more

Goodreads review by justine ⊹ ࣪ ˖ on May 08, 2026

Womp dnf-ed at 76%. Short rtc ✶⋆.˚ pre-read : another approved anticipated release!! ✧。٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*。......more

Goodreads review by Jay on December 11, 2025

This was an absolute joy to read. If you haven’t read the short story it’s based on, I highly recommend checking it out. If you like it, it’ll get you excited for the novel. If not…well, it’s a good representation of the style [URL not allowed] This book does a wonderful job di......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on January 03, 2026

4.5/5 this is one of the most unique book concepts i have ever had the pleasure of reading, so thank you to TOR and the author for allowing me to ARC read it. this book dealt in the controversial and hot button issue of human migration, but made it digestible through a multi-tonal lens—this was a lec......more


Quotes

A most-anticipated title from USA Today, Glamour, LitHub, New Scientist, The Nerd Daily, Library Journal, LibraryReads, and more!“In this dazzling parable of connection and isolation, Isabel J. Kim’s vividly crafted characters navigate identity, belonging, and the weight of a divided history.” —Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and The MortonsOne of the best debuts of the year. Sublimation speaks to our moment, in ways we could not have expected.” —John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain“Beyond candescent… after Sublimation, the immigrant story will never be the same. Kim is a nerve-wracker and a heart-render, a Seoul-lighter and a world-raveler; she also happens to be one of the finest writers working today.” —Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar WaoSublimation is one of the most powerful debut novels I've ever had the pleasure to read. It began blowing my mind from the first page.” —Mary Robinette Kowal, USA Today bestselling author of The Spare Man“You can become the person who read this book, or the person who didn't. Don't be the one left behind.” —Seth Dickinson, author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Sublimation speaks to one of our world’s greatest and most ubiquitous crises—the border—with the terrible precision of open-heart surgery.” —Vajra Chandrasekera, Nebula and Ursula K. Le Guin-Award winning author“Gorgeously rendered and deeply unsettling... a sharp, deeply felt first outing from a writer already at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review“Kim’s ability to track her world building into ancient times and modern politics, the emotional rawness of the characters and their many-faceted flaws and choices, and Soyoung/Rose’s quest to untangle herself from herself, all make for deeply compelling sf.” —Booklist, starred review“A layered narrative and exciting plot... Kim offers a unique sci-fi take on diaspora and identity. Hand to fans of Kazuo Ishiguro and China Miéville.” —Library JournalSublimation delivers doubly on its knockout premise, combining a compulsive page-turner with a keen meditation on fractured selves and the opacity of desire. Tremendous.” —Scott Alexander Howard, author of The Other ValleyThe best book of the year. In a world desperately in need of new narratives around immigration and identity, Sublimation is the big bold brilliant book we have been waiting for.” —Sam J. Miller, USA Today bestselling author of Blackfish CityAn unsettling and suspenseful narrative about the borders that cross us and the selves we subsequently leave behind.” —Anton Hur, author of Toward EternitySublimation expertly weaves myth, fairy tales, and science fiction within an electrifying contemporary thriller to explore identity, memory, and the whims of borders.” —Jade Song, Author of ChlorineI have never felt more seen by a book in my life.” —Ai Jiang, Nebula and Ignyte Award-winning author of LinghunSublimation is a heartrending and mind-bending novel about our slippery sense identity and desire—Essential reading for understanding today’s reality.” —Stephanie Feldman, author of Saturnalia