'For me the true heart of the book was Min, and his search for a sense of belonging that neither America nor Korea is quite able offer him. His story is truly unforgettable' Abi Dare, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice

*
Yu-jin is gifted.
Yu-jin is loved.
Yu-jin is flourishing.

Yu-jin is dead.

When the Seoul police inform Min that his girlfriend Yu-jin has taken her own life, he's sure it can't be true. She was successful, happy, just on the cusp of graduating and claiming the future she'd always dreamed of.

After growing up in California, where he always felt 'too Korean' to fit in, Min has never felt quite the same certainty as Yu-jin about his life's path. Unable to accept that she could have done this, Min throws himself into finding out what really happened to her.

But the more Min discovers, the more lost he feels. With a controlling and powerful government official father, and a fraught friendship with her alluring and destructive roommate So-ra, Yu-jin's life was much more complex than she chose to reveal to Min. And the more he learns about her, the more he begins to doubt he ever really knew her at all.

For fans of Celeste Ng, this is a profoundly moving and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties that bind families together - or break them apart.

Praise for When We Fell Apart

'A fascinating insight into contemporary Seoul and a poignant tale of not feeling at home anywhere, except with other lost souls' Jessie Burton, Sunday Times bestselling author

'A lyrical exposition on what it's like to be biracial, with one foot firmly planted in two distinct worlds, never completely fitting in, but capable of seeing what others do not' Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author

'Moving and suspenseful, a reminder that the greatest mysteries are those of being and belonging' Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author

'The most compelling debut novel I've read in years . . . Unforgettable' Alexander Chee, bestselling author

'Heart-stopping and exquisitely plotted, this is a novel to get lost in' Patricia Engel, bestselling author

'Melancholic, atmospheric, and consistently surprising' Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author

'When We Fell Apart will stay with me for a long time' Angie Kim, bestselling author

'A magical debut' Amy Gentry, bestselling author
Reviews
'A fascinating insight into contemporary Seoul and a poignant tale of not feeling at home anywhere, except with other lost souls' Jessie Burton, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Miniaturist and Medusa

'Propulsive and deeply felt, Soon Wiley's phenomenal debut When We Fell Apart takes on the friction between family bonds, cultural expectations, and personal desires in a way that feels both urgent and intensely real... truly unforgettable' Abi Dare, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice

'When We Fell Apart is a marvellous debut novel, moving and suspenseful, a reminder that the greatest mysteries are those of being and belonging. Soon Wiley is a young writer to watch' Jess Walter, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions

'A lyrical exposition on what it's like to be biracial, with one foot firmly planted in two distinct worlds, never completely fitting in, but capable of seeing what others do not. A lonely, heartbreaking, spellbinding story of love, self-discovery, and belonging' Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

'Melancholic, atmospheric, and consistently surprising. Like Norwegian Wood, there is a minor key running through this love story played out on the frenetic and lonely streets of Seoul. When We Fell Apart is a transportive and poignant debut' Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author of White Ivy

'When We Fell Apart explores the tender and chaotic intersections of culture, community and the search for self. Rich with philosophical nuance, heart-stopping and exquisitely plotted, this is a novel to get lost in' Patricia Engel, New York Times bestselling author of Infinite Country

'This gorgeous debut... explores youth, sexuality, and the freedom to choose your own destiny in a world that keeps insisting on who you should be and how you should love' Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth

'A masterful plot that seems to move in two directions at the same time, towards the inexorable, stunning ending - unforgettable' Alexander Chee, author of Queen of the Night and How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

'In this gorgeous, poignant meditation on identity, love, and desire, Soon Wiley illuminates the liminal state of being biracial, of belonging but not, of desperately wanting the world to let you be as you are' Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

'When We Fell Apart dazzles like neon on a rainy night. In lush, perfectly-tuned prose, Soon Wiley leads readers around dark corners and into the heart of a kaleidoscopic city... a magical debut' Amy Gentry, author of Good as Gone and Bad Habits

'I loved this novel! An absorbing mystery and poignant love story, When We Fell Apart is profoundly moving, beautifully written and utterly compelling' Susan Elliot Wright, author of All You Ever Wanted

'Wiley's debut novel is poignant and powerful and will leave readers questioning who is and isn't awarded the freedom to be their truest self' Shondaland

'Wiley has masterfully woven a story where his two protagonists come from very different experiences and places, yet share the struggle to carve out their own identities. Set in modern-day Seoul, it's also a love letter to Korea itself, but one that doesn't pull any punches' The Asian American Podcast

'Wiley tells parallel stories in alternating, brief chapters - Min's and Yu-jin's, one a roller-coaster of suspense and suspicion, the other a gradual awakening' USA Today

'Emotional and gripping' Hello

'Propulsive' Good Housekeeping

'Wiley's tale is a knockout, its assured narrative ebbing and flowing with grace while painting a haunting and anguished portrait of youth in all its quiet desperation' Booklist



Book Information
ISBN 9781398501737
Author Soon Wiley
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 26mm