"A Plagued Sea" by Kim Bo-Young

Translated from Korean into English by Sophie Bowman. This book isn't out yet, but will be in August 2026. I received a digital ARC for it (thanks!). A Lovecraftian horror novella that takes place in a fishing town under quarantine. Circumstances in the past have caused the protagonist to be stuck there, coping with daily life in maybe not the best ways. I'm always interested in stories that deal with infection in some way. I quite liked how this book wasn't overly scary, but built up a sense of unease with its atmosphere. The plague is not understood, there's not even consensus over its origin or the way it spreads. People seem to be coping in different ways, and the world at large might not be treating the infected ones as decently as one would hope... The story tries hard not to fall into the trap of representing evil with ugliness, deformity and sickness. It tiptoes a fine line between the (body) horror of unknowable beings and the mistreatment and othering of anyone too different…