Simple Heart

In this moving exploration of dual identities reminiscent of Past Lives, a writer’s pregnancy raises questions about her own childhood abandonment.

Nana, a Korean-born playwright, was adopted as a child and raised in France by her adoptive parents. Pregnant with the child of her ex-boyfriend, Nana receives a request from a Korean filmmaker who wishes to make a documentary about her life. Following a sudden compulsion to learn more about her roots, she heads to Seoul as she prepares to bring a new life into the world. There, through unexpected encounters, the dark threads of her memory gradually begin to unravel.

Simple Heart delves into profound questions about identity and belonging, with a focus on family connections and motherhood that recalls Kyung-Sook Shin’s Please Look After Mom. It also shines a necessary light on issues such as international adoption and the historic US military presence in Korea.

Author: Cho Haejin
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Other Press (NY)
Published: 02/03/2026
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.6lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781635425819
Language: English