Tailbone

A Novel

Che Yeun (Author)

Tailbone

A Novel

Che Yeun (Author)

Hardback ~~$35.99~~ $32.39 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $25.19 Audiobook $20.00

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Pre-order. Available Apr 07 2026

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Description

"An unforgettable debut novel, indelible, knowing, powerful, consuming. This marks the start of a major career." --Alexander Chee, author of How To Write an Autobiographical Novel

A fierce and gorgeous debut novel about a teenager who runs away from her abusive home to live in a boarding house for single women as a global financial crash threatens the people of Seoul.

Set in Seoul in 2008, Tailbone follows the story of an unnamed teenage girl who, after years of struggling with her alcoholic father's abuse, and what she sees as her mother's cowardice, decides to run away. At a boarding house for single women, the narrator is pulled into the orbit of one of the other girls living there: an older girl named Juju, whose beauty and hardscrabble determination greatly impress the narrator.

But when a global financial crisis reaches Korea, fears of a wider economic collapse bring the city to a standstill. Everything the girls have come to rely on for survival-mainly, the patronage of wealthy men-is put at risk. Everyone begins to struggle, especially Juju, who has long been dependent on one particular benefactor, a man who is all too aware of his power over her. As businesses close and winter sets in, the narrator is forced to reckon with not only her deepening fear for Juju's future, but also her own uncertain path. Will she stay on the run or go back home to her heartbroken mother? In a city where everything rots from greed and desperation, what can a helpless woman like Juju teach her about survival? Will their hope for each other ignite courage or destruction?

A poignant tale about survival, the impact of colonial and familial violence, class, privilege, and womanhood, Tailbone is a powerful and thrilling novel from a blazing new talent.

Product details

Published	Apr 07 2026
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Pages	272
ISBN	9781639737406
Imprint	Bloomsbury Publishing
Dimensions	210 x 140 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Che Yeun

Che Yeun’s short fiction can be found in Granta, A…

This is poised to be a breakout debut novel from a writer whose short fiction has garnered praise and attention...[A] story of friendship, identity, and soul-searching that stays with you long after the last page.

S. Zainab Williams, BookRiot
An unforgettable novel. When a coming-of-age story can surprise me, I know a writer has done their job. Yeun takes the darkest moments and finds hope in them.

Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful "Most Anticipated Debuts of 2026"
With this story of how we betray and are betrayed, by others but especially by ourselves, Che Yeun has given us an unforgettable debut novel, indelible, knowing, powerful, consuming. This marks the start of a major career.

Alexander Chee, author of HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL
A gripping coming of age tale as savage as it is astounding, Tailbone seduces one first with voice, then swells and electrifies from within the storied walls of the Seoul boarding house in which anything is possible. Tailbone introduces Che Yeun as one of the absolute greats, an extraordinary stylist and singular storyteller of our time.

T Kira Madden, author of WHIDBEY and LONG LIVE THE TRIBE OF FATHERLESS GIRLS
With sharp and arresting prose, Che Yeun's Tailbone fearlessly examines a South Korea on the brink of economic collapse. A haunting, unforgettable story about survival in all its forms.

Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY and SUPERFAN
Che Yeun's debut novel marks the arrival of a bold, assured voice. Unflinching and devastating, Tailbone is a novel best read in one sitting so that it can be immediately reread. Rich in metaphor and social realism, Yeun's Seoul-set tale is also relentlessly propulsive. This story of a young woman's personal awakening is destined to become a literary classic.

Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of THE AMERICAN DAUGHTERS and WE CAST A SHADOW