Skip to main content
book cover for The Bully

The Bully

A Paranormal Thriller

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on Waterstones
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 15 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 31 Aug 2021

Talking about this book? Use #Horror #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

Since the day I declined my boss' sexual advance, all hell has broken loose.


She has abused me with impossible assignments during our work day and haunts me as a vicious spirit at night.

I am losing my mind. I am constantly seeing my boss transforming into a vicious spirit.


Desperate to set myself free, I pay her a visit with a final plan...but even my extreme measure doesn’t provide a way out..


Maybe there is a world of demons hidden just beneath the surface of everyday life.

Since the day I declined my boss' sexual advance, all hell has broken loose.


She has abused me with impossible assignments during our work day and haunts me as a vicious spirit at night.

I am losing my...


Available Editions

ISBN 9791197395635
PRICE US$3.99 (USD)

Average rating from 37 members


Featured Reviews

Coming in with only 156 pages this was a very short read. I felt like the story was weird but interesting. I defiantly needed to continue reading to know what was happening and going to happen. This book takes you on a ride that makes you dizzy.

Was this review helpful?

A quick read about the boss you never want to have and just can't get away from. Love Asian-based horror, demons, and shamans, and family traditions. This was a fun read, definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

A strange little tale that is not what I would call a thriller nor a horror. What it would do is make a good little black and white anime where the visuals would tell the tell. I think there is a moral tale to tell but is it his or his handsy boss?

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for me to review. The Bully is a short read based in Korea. This is a descriptive book, I could put myself in the story- smells & surroundings are beautifully written. The author skipped many years so it was hard to connect with the characters. I honestly have no idea what the point of this story was so I’m not sure what the takeaway was supposed to be. Trigger warning for suicide and mental abuse.

Was this review helpful?

A very strange book, pulls you in, chews up you up and spits you out. Very quick to read, mixture of working for a nightmare boss and some shaman action thrown in for good measure. You never really fully understand what is going on but I liked it. It could have been a bit longer and the ending could have been expanded upon.

Was this review helpful?

The book fell flat for me. I didn't like any characters in it, and the story seemed muddled. I realize there was some hints of horror elements, but overall not for me.

Was this review helpful?

He left a childhood in a poor village for the big city and a dream job. The office building is tall, shiny and impressive. His boss is a beautiful woman....tall, shiny and impressive. She constantly has him on edge. He's wonderful...he's stupid....she wants knows he'll do well here....he's a lost cause....he's so strong....he smells bad. She's the bully of bullies and maybe even worse.
If a guy says "my boss is the devil" you think he's joking. What if it's not a joke?
Great lore-based story set in Korea. Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review #TheBully

Was this review helpful?

Ermmmmm I'm not really sure what I have just read. I wasn't a horror or a thriller the only good thing I found about it was how short and quick it was. Left me scratching my head tbh

Was this review helpful?

The Bully is a short book, following a young Korean man's struggle in a workplace. He's come from a small village to a big city to make money to support his family.

The only problem? His boss is evil. She treats him horrendously, and we begin to wonder if she's even of this earth.

The Bully is weird. At its heart, it's a book about a nice man being taken advantage of time after time. It's infuriating. Alongside the nastiness, there is also an element of the supernatural, which for me, is slightly underdone.

I liked the story, and it is really well written, but I personally feel it is a little too short. I read it in one sitting, which is both a testament to Kwon's abilities, while also being evidence of its size.

I just feel that if the book was longer, Kwon could have given more. I would have liked further chapters on the supernatural things that happened.

I'd definitely recommend this, and I hope the author writes more!

Thanks to K.J. Kwon, NetGalley, and KJ Books for this advanced copy.

Was this review helpful?

This book is too brief to do the plot justice. While an interesting premise, it was hard to get to know the characters or to become engaged in the context. It’s an interesting idea and one which perhaps could be built upon further.

Was this review helpful?

One of the things that made the bully refreshing was that it was a #metoo workplace story, only where the man was being harassed and the woman was the boss on a power trip. Sometimes having a story like this with the most common gender roles in reverse can make some of the dynamics that get played out more obvious. Also, it serves as a reminder that ANY GENDER can be the victim or perpetrator of harassment.

But then the component of a ghost possibly being a part of the harassment made it more fun. And seeking the help of a shaman really made this feel more like a supernatural thriller.

It was also a plus that being a novella I was able to read it in one setting.

Was this review helpful?

If there is one universal truth it’s that we all have to work. From off-the-grid farmers to the children of wealthy socialites, no one is exempt from some form of labor. Some people find fulfillment in their jobs, but it’s much more common for an individual to have simply made a truce with the concept of employment. The sad fact of the matter is if you want to survive, you’re going to need money. And the way to make money is to work. But what happens when the money you’re bringing in isn’t enough? What do you do when what you’re capable of achieving is constantly getting overlooked? These existential capitalist fears are at the center of K.J. Kwon’s new novella The Bully.

In The Bully, a young man from a small town lands a plush gig at a highly regarded marketing firm in Seoul. At first, things look pretty rosey. His boss seems kind, and the work looks like it will be both creative and rewarding. But things start to fall apart when he decline’s his boss’s sexual advances. Soon, he’s missing deadlines and making major blunders in presentations, all carefully orchestrated by his vindictive direct report. Unfortunately for this young marketing associate, gaslighting becomes the least of his worries as he begins to be haunted by an otherworldly presence. Is his boss somehow behind it? Or are the grueling hours and endless due dates finally taking their toll?

Toxic work environments can feel like a nightmare, and K.J. Kwon’s The Bully takes that traumatic situation to a supernatural level.

Terms like “Kafkaesque” have been used so often to describe fiction that its meaning has all but dissolved. And yet, the term fit’s Kwon’s book to a tee. The Bully’s protagonist struggles forward in a world of constantly shifting deadlines and priorities guided by an increasingly illogical set of rules laid out by manager Dabin. She is the quintessential “psycho boss” who hides her cruelty from higher ups with soft smiles and quiet reassurances while gathering a pound of flesh from her subordinates behind closed doors.

It’s not just Kwon’s villain that fits the Kafka-style archetype either. The loose, dreamlike descriptions leave the reader in a kind of setting purgatory. Is our hero still at the office? Or, has he traveled home at some point? One moment he’s sitting at his desk; the next Dabin is closing the door to her office behind him. It’s as if the character is forever simultaneously in two places at once—a feeling many in the workforce know well.

While the focus of The Bully is supernatural, it’s what Kwon has to say about modern work culture that is truly terrifying. A person needs money to live, and they get that money through employment. Once that structure is set into place, a worker’s boss has complete control over their lives. As long as they care about their job, there’s nothing they can do but obey. Of course, when you’re not in a toxic situation it can be hard to understand why someone wouldn’t just leave. But it’s never that easy, is it?

Lovers of the macabre are well versed in the frights that ghosts and demons can bring. But K.J. Kwon’s The Bully shows us that the 9-to-5 can be just as petrifying.

Was this review helpful?

This book held no appeal for me. It may be that I am unfamiliar with South Korea and its culture but I didn't like the characters and I felt lost reading much of this. Much of the time the book felt like it muddled reality with nightmare and you weren't sure what was real and what wasn't, even if it was all real it didn't feel that way. The combination of horror, paranormal, and social issues were all thrown together and the book was too short to really figure out what was going on.

Was this review helpful?

The Bully has me torn. It's my first paranormal thriller and on starting the book I was loving the story, poor boy made good and the family dynamic that he's trying to please everyone and help his family. The bulling by his boss was believable and well handled by the author. The paranormal angle I wasn't buying as it's too far fetched but as a novel, I have to say I enjoyed the read.

Was this review helpful?

A mystery thriller that will leave you questioning everything you think you knew.
Dark and sinister. This is a thriller at it's most thrilling.
The boss in this story is the worst ever and what's even worse than that is, she can get away with it.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this one and read it in one day. Look forward to much more by this author.

Was this review helpful?

This one was definitely the more stranger of the short stories that I have read. I won't say that it was much developmentally for me nor will I say that this was the most exciting read of my life, but it was pleasant and I would recommend it for people who really just want to kill time with a quick read.

Was this review helpful?

A quick read and finished in one sitting. The book follows the main character throughout his workplace and as the title suggests we also find the bully who is picking on the protagonist however this book also includes a supernatural twist which makes you wonder what is actually going on. Also something to note is that this book is set in Korea and includes a lot of the Korean culture in the supernatural aspect

Was this review helpful?

The Bully immediately lured me in with its synopsis. My favorite kind of horror involves demons, so if a novel, movie, or TV show has them in it, I'm there in a flash. They are by far the scariest supernatural beings to me.

This story takes us to South Korea where the main character has just found a new job in the city and thinks he's landed the job of his dreams. But his life quickly becomes a nightmare when his female boss begins making unwanted sexual advances toward him.

After rejecting her, his boss sets out to destroy his life, and I wondered if there would be anything left of him to continue working. She's so successful in her quest to torture him, it leaves him wondering if she's literally from hell. I know I got whiplash from how she'd praise him one minute, then tear him down the next, psychologically tormenting him.

The Bully has an intriguing idea at its core. I liked being unsure of what was real and what wasn't. The ability to write that way is something I've always envied because it takes skill to be subtle. This is a short read, and I recommend reading it in one sitting if you can because then you get the full effect of the situation escalating out-of-control and the desperation, panic, and terror of the main character.

When I finished reading, I became torn on what to rate this. While the idea was a good one, I wanted more of the supernatural but not necessarily a longer book. I'm having a hard time articulating exactly what it was that led to my three-star rating. I'm trusting the gut feeling I have on this one.

Was this review helpful?

Was a really raw look at how people are. Really liked this book. I hope to read more by thia author.

Was this review helpful?

This book has an interesting plot and the potential to be really good. However at short 150 odd pages, the characters were underdeveloped and the various menacing situations that arise felt rushed and at times not coherent.
Overall, an okay read - but could have been better

Was this review helpful?

Strange and creepy Korean horror novel. I liked it although the timeline in the story seemed to jump a bit with him first getting this job and his boss hitting on him and him turning her down to suddenly it seems like significant time has passed and he is still there but alternates between being her errand boy as a form of punishment for turning her down, and getting important projects to work on that could elevate his career. I still enjoyed the story overall and wanted to see him succeed.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: