As you should all know I really like a well-crafted collection of short stories so as soon as this came up on NetGalley I jumped at it.

Gina Chung travels through many different worlds in this collection, but always with the female character central, no matter if it is Sci-Fi, mythological, or domestic situations the women often have moral dilemmas to work through and family is more than likely to be at the centre of it.

The collection plays on Korean myths and behavioural expectations and the weaving through of both these makes for very interesting reading. A spotlight onto a culture like but unlike our own, especially when these two cultures intersect.

There are lots of really strong stories in here but I feel my favourites were the sci-fi based ones, especially about traumatic memories and grief and how there could eventually be technical solutions but at what cost.

Another one I really enjoyed was a tale seen from the perspective of the kumiho who has to revenge her dead sister and her feelings on that and her life.

But I really enjoyed all of them, though the whole collection seemed to riff off a deep melancholy and was quite muted in tone this only heightened the feeling of difference and other.

I received this from NetGalley and Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

As usual Gina Chung does not fail to deliver. I found each story captivating, and in some cases looking up the fairy tale it may have been based on. I love finding authors who continue to make my love of contemporary fiction grow.

Both 'Rabbit Heart' and 'Honey and Sun's were my favorites. I cannot wait to pick up a physical copy of this book to add to my collection.

A set of short stories, delving into fantasy, fiction, magical realism and everything in between. Something for everyone, animals, sci-fi, mythology and all still very human. Lots of emotions and deep thoughts with a lot of these, poignant and beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

I really tried to get into this and enjoy the stories for their weirdness, but I just couldn't. It's one of those cases where I'm just not vibing with the writing style and the themes of the stories. I don't know, this just didn't work for me at all and it could definitely be a case of I'm just not the right audience for this. I can enjoy weird stories but I like them to have substance or make me feel something, these just didn't, but I still appreciate the talent and I think other readers will find the enjoyment I couldn't.

In recent years, there has been a surge in the publication of 'weird' short story collections, and unfortunately, Chung's<i> Green Frog</i> is a lacklustre addition to this trend. The ‘quirky’ tone and the use of absurdist and surreal elements felt almost formulaic as if Chung was following a checklist or creative writing prompts rather than genuine narrative experiences rather than genuinely experimenting with her storytelling.

The choice of the opening story was particularly baffling; it’s basically a series of instructions, not a story at all. To place this as your ‘opener’...it’s an odd choice. It was almost off-putting in a way. Usually collections like these open with a banger (and then fizzle out). But still, I moved past it hoping that the following stories would at least deliver on the themes promised by its summary. Sadly, they didn’t. Not only did they lack substance, but the style they prioritized felt derivative and not particularly compelling. Characters fail to register their presence on the page, and the story’s ‘quirks’ were entirely gimmicky. The only truly memorable one was the story about an amorphic praying mantis, but this story is really cut short and doesn’t really do anything (thematically or stylistically). They just washed over me. Neither bad, nor good, but certainly surface-level and forgettable. This is a pity as they promised to blend real-life struggles, specifically of Korean American women, with fantastical elements. However, I found the author’s exploration of bodies, desires, and memories to be tedious.

While I didn't love Chung's debut, it had an earnestness that I couldn't help but admire. In comparison, <i>Green Frog</i> feels rather contrived. Maybe if you have just started reading weird short stories you might find yourself able to appreciate<i> Green Frog</I> in ways that I was unable to.

Green Frog (June 2024) by Gina Chung is a collection of short stories focusing on the Korean American experience as her characters deal with motherhood, death, grief, regret, and more.

Having read Chung's debut novel Sea Change before, I had looked forward to more of her works. I feel this collection is such a reward, because not only we readers get to read a new story but we are presented with the opportunity to read 15!

The stories are unique, some are slice-of-life tales, some with a touch of magical realism, some folklore-ish, some with futuristic elements. They explore the complicated relationships between family members and loved ones.

Each story transported me into different realms, filled with vividly imagined characters and scenery. The stories are emotionally charged, and the characters are morally complex. While I don't fancy some of the characters, I could feel for their situations.

For me, most of the stories are strong and memorable, but as usual, there are a couple of misses. My favourites were 'Rabbit Heart', 'The Sound of Water', 'Names for Fireflies', and 'Honey and Sun'. I particularly love 'Rabbit Heart' for the granddaughter-grandmother relationship, as it's very poignant.

I thank #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was read and reviewed for Mslexia's What's New in Short Stories review column - thank you for the advance copy!

A unique collection of stories that will hit you in the feels. Many aspects of these are relatable. Told through varying situations that put the characters in each story in difficult situations. It describes them navigating life under cultural and societal expectations and them making the choices that are right for them. Blending sci fi and thrilling tropes this was a great collection to experience.

I absolutely loved this gorgeous collection of short stories about how womanhood connects to nature and the world around it. I’d love to go back and read this and appreciate the stories in different ways. I loved the different points of view, story formats and themes, and loved the way they’re all stand alone but read beautifully as a collection.

Green Frog by Gina Chung is a lyrical and creative, varied and diverse collection of short stories - an interesting mix of genres and styles.

‘Green Frog’ is such a beautiful collection of short-stories that it is hard to even pick stronger texts than others. The writing is the most outstanding part of the book, the dialogues are so heartfelt that characters that we only meet for ten pages feel like real-life people. Although there are many surreal elements, the authenticity of the emotions they experience feels undeniable. The heart is at the centre of the collection, not only does it appear in three titles, but all the stories are about facing one’s most honest truths. Motherhood, brotherhood, loss, death, think about the most popular themes in fiction, they are all here, but tackled with such emotional intelligence that it will move many readers. In this ethereal piece of literature, event bats can be heartbroken.
To compare it to some contemporary authors, it has the weirdness of Bora Chung’s ‘Cursed Bunny’ (without its creepiness), and the mundane softness of Sayaka Murata’s works, all the while being very unique. Gina Chung has such a beautiful voice that I sincerely hope that this book will allow her to be deservedly noticed.

Green Frog is a brilliant array of short stories, all centred around the Korean-American experience, dipping into varying genres such as folklore, sci-fi, contemporary, literary, and horror, to name just a few.

Each story is beautifully handled, whether Chung is writing a guide on how to eat your own heart, exploring the concept of replacing your dead daughter with a robot, folklore based kumhio’s seeking revenge, or tangled family relations in our present world.

When writing reviews for short story collections this is the point where I would usually highlight a few of my favourites - but that’s quite impossible to do, as practically every single story stands out and shines in its own way. I implore you to read this book, to see exactly what I mean. Chung easily sinks her teeth into her varying chosen genres, and these stories speak for themselves.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

I had liked Gina Chung's first novel, Sea Change, and I loved these short stories. There's a good variety of them, some magical, some more mundane, but I found them all enjoyable. She is great at writing about mothers and daughters, and she is great at exploring regret and loss. I especially liked 'Attachment Process', where a couple decides to buy a robot replica of their deceased daughter (with a consciousness powered by AI) but elect yo replicate their daughter Elly as a five year old rather than a teenager; 'After the Party' where a woman discovers something about her husband, and 'Names for Fireflies ' where two naughty little girls are sent by their single mother to live with a strict uncle who collects insects. They were all quite moving and memorable.

You can never have too many stories about women! We’ve all gone through something… and we will all go through something like these women. These stories were well-told. I do love a short story collection!

Green Frog manages to pull off a feat that few short collections are able to do successfully: almost every piece is able to stand alone (marked by a unique array of characters, narrative, and stylistic voice), and yet the whole thing works as a complete, interconnected composition - Chung's engagement with the tradition of Korean folktales, the complicated dynamics of families and romantic relationships, and her concern with the myths of the past, present, and future are the common threads which run through each individual story.

Chung's writing is strong - easy to read, but still flecked with glimmers of experimentation and wit - and I appreciated her willingness to play with form; I liked how several of the stories were written from interesting and unusual perspectives (switching from second- and fourth- person, for example). That being said, some aspects of her authorial style just weren't to my particular taste - I soon became aware of her propensity to lean on simile and metaphor, to the point that it came across a little repetitive (thus lessening the impact of such techniques). Furthermore, some of dialogue rang slightly hollow to me - the secondary characters, in particular, often seemed quite stereotypical or underdeveloped. Overall, I did enjoy the collection, and would definitely like to read more from Chung (perhaps a whole novel, as I wanted to read more about some of the characters introduced in this book)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Picador for this free e-ARC!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Picador for providing an advance reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Green Frog by Gina Chung is a short story collection which borders on reality and magical realism. Each story was quite different from each other and they all had distinct voices. The writing was very easy to follow and I was impressed by the language and the word building. The stories were a mixed bag for me. I loved some a lot and some felt lukewarm. Each story evoked a different emotion in me. Some were futuristic, some were set in the present and overall they were highly enjoyable. Chung was able to express emotions very well in her stories very well and that elevated them a lot.

This is one of the most interesting short story collections I've read in a while. Would recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Green Frog' by Gina Chung.

'Green Frog' is a collection of short stories by Gina Chung and honestly, it was a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories I really didn't like but then you'd encounter one you madly fell in love with and would want an entire novel about. Gina Chung has such a witty way of writing books and I feel like she is definitely underrated and slept on.

This was a really interesting collection of short stories which was equal parts fantastical and realism. The stories were beautiful, heart-breaking and full of happiness too all centred around Korean American characters. The writing was so warm and gripping that I sped through the novel; a must read.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book was not working for me, so I had to DNF it. :(
I really liked the self-titled short story, though. I actually got a little annoyed because it was so short.
That was the most interesting one out of those I actually read.
Thank you, anyway, to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free eARC of this book.

The title immediately grabbed me because it was odd and I like odd titles. I got even more excited when I saw it was a series of short stories and by a Korean author. 15 stories, about women, that were so different. I thought it might get a bit ‘samey’ but I ploughed through this. Each story raised a different set of emotions - ‘How to eat your own heart’ was a great story to start with and it set the tone of what was to come, ‘You’ll never know how much I loved you’. was quite sad and very real but the saddest was ‘The Arrow’ - about a woman and her mother reuniting over a pregnancy. ‘Attachment Processes’ made me feel uneasy because it’s so futuristic but actually not that far away. I can’t fault any of the stories because they took me on a fabulous ride and I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for future publications from this author. The scope of the author’s imagination was brilliantly captured in these pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Picador for this ARC. I loved it.