Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun

 

A teenage girl is murdered in Korea in 2002.  The case quickly becomes notorious and is known as the High School Beauty Murder.  Kim Hae-on was known for her beauty, by far the most beautiful girl in her class.  There are two main suspects.  The most popular, richest boy in the class was seen driving Kim Hae-on in his truck that day.  A delivery boy goes to the police and says he had seen her with that boy but he is himself considered a suspect and soon the main one.  Both boys' alibis cannot be shaken and the case goes cold.

The story of this murder is told through the voices of various people impacted by the case.  These include the delivery boy as he is interrogated, the police detective in charge of the case, Kim Hae-on's little sister, the girlfriend of the rich boy who was with Kim that day and the delivery boy's sister.  The timing of the story is split into two time periods; the actual time of the murder and seventeen years afterward when those affected have tried to move on with their lives.

This novel received lots of attention.  It was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice as well as a Crimereads Best International Crime Novel and a Ms Magazine Most Anticipated Book Of The Year.  It explores the effect of a crime on those who knew and loved the victim and on those suspected of a crime.  As the years go by without a solution, some are able to push the crime into the deepest recesses of their minds while others find themselves unable to move on in their lives.  Kwon Yeo-sun is a South Korean writer whose work focuses on those who are in unconventional relationships and how society views them.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.