Jung Yun's new novel is Shelter. From her Q & A with Deborah Kalb:Q: How did you come up with your main character, Kyung?Visit Jung Yun's website.
A: Kyung started out as just an image. I was thinking about a man staring out his kitchen window and seeing his elderly mother in the backyard, naked.
At the time, I was exploring some ideas about adult children transitioning into a caretaking role for their aging parents, and feeling both obligated but inconvenienced by the responsibility.
I was also interested in writing an unlikeable main character, albeit a justifiably unlikeable one. Kyung’s a hard man—I don’t think anyone would really want to go out and get a beer with him—but I do hope that readers understand why he...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue