Walking Practice

By: Dolki Min, translated by Victoria Caudle

A radical literary sensation from South Korea makes his American debut with this surreal, compelling, and utterly uniquenovel about an alien’s hunt for foodpart psychological thriller and part searing critique of the social structures that marginalize those who are different.

After crashing their spacecraft in the middle of nowhere, a shapeshifting alien finds themselves stranded on an unfamiliar planet and disabled by Earths gravity. To survive, they will need to practice walking. And what better way than to hunt for food? As they discover, humans are delicious.

Intelligent, clever, and adaptable, the alien shifts their gender, appearance, and conduct to suit a preys sexual preference, then attacks at the pivotal moment of their encounter. They use a variety of hunting tools, including a popular dating app, to target the juiciest prey and carry a backpack filled with torturous instruments and cleaning equipment.

But the aliens existence begins to unravel one night when they fail to kill their latest meal. Thrust into an ill-fated chase across the city, the alien is confronted with the psychological and physical tolls their experience on Earth has taken. Questioning what they must do to sustain their own survival, they begin to understand why humans also fight to live. But their hunger is insatiable, and the alien once again targets a new prey, not knowing what awaits…