Korean thriller writer Seo Mi-ae on crimes hiding in plain sight
SINGAPORE — When author Seo Mi-ae came home from a college hiking trip with a cut on her face, it took her family three days to notice, even though they had shared meals and lived under the same roof the whole time. The Korean thriller writer still uses that small lapse to explain how her genre works. In crime fiction, a sentence skimmed in passing or a figure lingering in the background can turn…
Seo Mi-ae, a renowned Korean thriller writer, often draws attention to the subtle yet crucial details that can make or break her crime fiction. During a college hiking trip, she returned home with a facial cut, but it took her family three days to notice, despite sharing meals and living together continuously. This incident serves as an example of the meticulous nature of her genre, where a seemingly insignificant detail can hold significant meaning.
Seo's psychological thrillers encapsulate this theme, and it has become the central focus of this year's Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), named "Hidden in Plain Sight." The festival commenced on Friday and features Seo among its lineup of writers in the new Crime and Mystery Spotlight. Known as the "queen of mystery" in her home country, Seo is a celebrated figure in the thriller genre.
Her writing journey began in 1994 with her short story "30 Ways to Kill Your Husband," which won a literary contest. Several of her works have since been adapted into various formats, including TV dramas, films, and plays. Notably, her 2010 novel "The Only Child" revolves around a criminal psychologist summoned to assist a serial killer on death row, a story that has gained considerable attention.
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