CANR
WORK TITLE: Meet Me at Blue Hour
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WEBSITE: https://www.sarahsuk.com/
CITY: Vancouver
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COUNTRY: Canada
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PERSONAL
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; married.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sarah Suk is a writer of young adult and middle-grade novels that often feature characters of Korean descent. In an interview in Nerd Daily, Suk offered advice to aspiring writers looking to publish their first novels. She insisted: “Keep on writing. It sounds simple, but there are days where that can feel really hard and all you want to do is quit for good. Just remember that you’re only going to get better and better with each thing you write so don’t give up. No one can tell your stories the way you can.”
In Made in Korea, Korean American high school senior Valerie Kwon has found success running her K-beauty business while at school. She gets help from her cousin, Charlie Song, but neither are prepared when new student Wed Jung sets up his own competition to K-beauty with K-pop-branded lip balm. Valerie and Wes set up a friendly wager to see who can earn the most money at school by the end of the year. The winner gets the earnings from both businesses. Valerie hopes to win so she can afford to take her grandmother to Paris. Wes hopes to use the money to pay for tuition to study jazz saxophone at college. Neither Valerie or Wes’s parents show much appreciation or affection for them at home. As the school year progressed, though, Valerie and Wes start to develop feelings for the other and discuss their inner-most desires and the difficulties they face with their parents.
In an interview in JeanBookNerd, Suk shared a interesting bit about what she learned while writing the characters Valerie and Wes. She admitted: “The most surprising thing I learned was how your characters can know the story better than you do and end up guiding you in the writing process. There were several moments where I felt like Valerie and Wes were telling me, ‘No no I would never do that’ or ‘I think this should happen instead.’ I was surprised by how much of writing them was actually discovering them and letting them take the lead.”
Booklist contributor Jeanne Fredriksen suggested that “readers who like their romances on the schemy side will be in for a treat with” Made in Korea. In a review in School Library Journal, Carol Youssif noted that “readers will relate to each main character as they both struggle with parents, friends, school, and dreams.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “an engaging, fast-paced romance between two teens longing for acceptance.”
Suk cowrote Troublemaker with John Cho. The Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles of 1992 led to riots across the city. Middle school Korean American student Jordan narrates the events from his perspective. He returns home that day shocked to find his parents at home and in the middle of an intense discussion. Jordan dreaded talking to his parents about being suspended for cheating on a Spanish quiz, particularly coming just a week after getting into a big fight with his father. But his father does not have time to talk with him; he hurries down to the family’s liquor store to board it up before rioters break inside. Jordan grabs his father’s gun and follows after him, worried that he could get hurt.
Writing in New York Times Book Review, Steph Cha observed that the novel “is written in the plain, clear language of its 12-year-old narrator. The atmosphere and social context come through, but Jordan is a child so he’s less concerned with the ravages of structural racism than with mending his relationship with his father.” Booklist contributor Terry Hong mentioned that “he undoubtedly provides an empathic portal into an immigrant family on the verge of compelling transformation.” In a review in School Library Journal, Claire Covington lauded that “this is a good middle grade historical fiction. Its main character is relatable, and the fast pace keeps readers engaged.”
With The Space between Here & Now, seventeen-year-old Korean Canadian Aimee Roh considers her Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which resulted in her physically travelling back in time. Specifically, she goes back to moments that served as triggers in her life through scent memories. Her condition is getting worse as these events happen more often and for a longer duration. Despite this, her father refuses to allow her to see a specialist. When she gets a memory that doesn’t line up with what she knows about her mother, she goes to Seoul in search of answers and to find her mother, who abandoned the family.
A Kirkus Reviews contributor reasoned that “Suk deftly handles the time-travel premise, and the story’s emotional core resonates.” The same reviewer called the novel “evocative and original.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly opined that “Aimee’s richly wrought character arc remains the focus of this unique take on travel, grief, and connection.” Despite finding the concept of Sensory Time Warp Syndrome to be “a bit of a leap,” Booklist contributor Stacey Comfort conceded that “Suk’s compelling and realistic writing makes it worthwhile.”
In the novel Meet Me at Blue Hour, Korean Canadian Yena Bae has struggled with attachment ever since her best friend ghosted her at age fourteen when she confessed her feelings for him. Over the summer, she goes to her mother’s memory-erasing clinic in Busan, South Korea, to help out and earn some money. Tena is shocked to find that her former crush, Lucas, is in Busan to get his grandfather the memory restoring treatment that her mother is working on. She looks into his file at the clinic to see that he had her erased from his memory. Nevertheless, she still wants to reconnect with him, even if it does have negative long-term consequences for his memory erasure treatment.
A Kirkus Reviews contributor pointed out that “speculative premise offers musings on the social consequences of technology as an intriguing backdrop for a gentle friends-to-lovers romance.” The same critic found it to be both “thought-provoking and comforting.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly said that “this uniquely structured, memory-bending speculative romance and love letter to Busan raises meaty questions about scientific morality.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 2021, Jeanne Fredriksen, review of Made in Korea; May 15, 2022, Terry Hong, review of Troublemaker, p. 63; October 15, 2023, Stacey Comfort, review of The Space between Here & Now, p. 52.
Horn Book, July 26, 2022, “Five Questions for John Cho and Sarah Suk.”
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2021, review of Made in Korea; September 1, 2023, review of The Space Between Here & Now; February 1, 2025, review of Meet Me at Blue Hour.
New York Times Book Review, May 1, 2022, Steph Cha, review of Troublemaker, p. 18L.
Publishers Weekly, August 28, 2023, review of The Space Between Here & Now, p. 122; January 13, 2025, review of Meet Me at Blue Hour, p. 58.
School Library Journal, May 1, 2021, Carol Youssif, review of Made in Korea, p. 89; April 1, 2022, Claire Covington, review of Troublemaker, p. 135.
Vancouver Sun, February 14, 2024, Dana Gee, “Sense of Smell Is Triggering Time Travel Device in Vancouver Writer’s New Y/A Novel.”
ONLINE
CBC website, https://www.cbc.ca/ (November 26, 2023), “Vancouver Writer Sarah Suk’s New Book Explores Memory and Korean Canadian Identity.”
Cold Tea Collective, https://coldteacollective.com/ (May 16, 2021), Ashley J. Chong, author interview.
JeanBookNerd, https://www.jeanbooknerd.com/ (May 1, 2021), author interview.
Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (May 12, 2021), author interview.
Sarah Suk website, https://www.sarahsuk.com (July 24, 2025).
Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes stories and admires mountains. She is the award-winning author of young adult novels Meet Me at Blue Hour, The Space between Here & Now, and Made in Korea, as well as the co-writer of John Cho’s middle grade novel Troublemaker. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water or making a loaf of bread. You can visit Sarah online at sarahsuk.com.
Sarah Suk Interview - Made in Korea
5:00 AM JBN, Jean Book Nerd Blog Tour, Sarah Suk Interview - Made in Korea 15 comments
Photo Credir: Farisia Thang
Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada where she writes stories and admires mountains. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu. You can visit her on Twitter and Instagram @sarahaelisuk.
BONUS FACTS
Sarah graduated from UBC with a major in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing.
Her previous jobs include making bubble tea, teaching creative writing workshops, and interning with Liberty in North Korea in their Seoul office (check them out, they’re awesome!).
Her favourite ice cream flavour is mint chip, she prefers tea over coffee, and she loves winter the best even though it’s cold and gets dark at 4 PM.
Greatest thing you learned at school?
How to develop film and print photos in a darkroom.
Where were you born and where do you call home?
Born in Vancouver, Canada, which I still call home today!
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
So far I’d say it’s been seeing my name on a book cover. That’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time and to see it come true was such a surreal and rewarding experience! I’ve also started hearing from readers who were able to get an early copy of MADE IN KOREA and had very kind things to say which has been so cool. I’m really looking forward to connecting with more readers as the book hits shelves.
Tell us your latest news.
My latest news is that I finally got an appropriate lasagna dish so I can now make lasagna at home. Very exciting, I know!
Can you tell us when you started MADE IN KOREA, how that came about?
I started working on MADE IN KOREA around late 2018, early 2019. It began with the thought, ‘it would be fun to write about Korean teens selling K-beauty products at school, but I don’t know what else they do yet’ and it just kept on growing from there.
FAVORITE QUOTES/SCENES FROM MADE IN KOREA
1) “What can I say, Wes? When you choose the path of an artist, nothing is promised, but everything is possible.”
2) “Suddenly, the past couple of weeks of trying to dodge her in the halls felt like a missed opportunity. She made me nervous, true, but now that she was here in front of me, there was so much I wanted to say. I wanted to ask if she had heard about my sales and what she thought about it, if I was doing a good job, if the lipstick she was wearing was the same one she had used to write on my shirt. There were so many things I wanted to know about her. She made me curious.”
3) “Are we still at war?
For a moment, I considered extending my hand and helping him up. After seeing his sales at the market, I knew I had the better business. He wasn’t a threat anymore. And there was something about the way he’d stopped to free me, the way his fingers had brushed against my skin and made my breath catch in my throat, the way he was looking at me right now with such hope and seriousness and genuine anticipation, that made me want to say, All right, the war is over. Good game, Wes Jung.
But then I heard footsteps coming down the hall and I felt something stronger. The desire to win. To nail in my victory and prove that I was really the best.
‘I thought you were competition,’ I said. ‘But I guess I was wrong.’
I pushed past him and ran to the band room. I heard him leap up, chase after me. But it was too late. I had already won.”
What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
Hmm I’m not sure I have a specific thing that I want readers to think while reading, but I do hope my novel makes them feel something. Whether it makes them laugh or empathize with a character, I hope there would be something in the story that sparks a sense of joy.
What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Valerie and Wes?
The most surprising thing I learned was how your characters can know the story better than you do and end up guiding you in the writing process. There were several moments where I felt like Valerie and Wes were telling me, “No no I would never do that” or “I think this should happen instead.” I was surprised by how much of writing them was actually discovering them and letting them take the lead.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I would love for Valerie and Wes to cross over into a fantasy world of some sort and learn magic! Maybe I would introduce them to Riley Oh from Graci Kim’s novel THE LAST FALLEN STAR and they could be sorted into one of the gifted clans. It would be both intriguing and hilarious to see them in a magical setting.
What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
Oh man. I’m a huge procrastinator so I feel like there are a countless number of things that distract me at any given moment. At the time I was writing MADE IN KOREA, I think I was deep in my obsession with the show Anne with an E. I was binge watching episodes and fan videos like nobody’s business. It definitely pulled me away from my manuscript more than once!
TEN FAVORITE BOOKS READ THIS PAST YEAR
1) Know My Name — A memoir by Chanel Miller who was sexually assaulted at a Stanford frat party in 2015. So powerful and emotionally searing.
2) Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow— The third in Jessica Townsend’s brilliant Nevermoor series which I am totally enamored by!
3) The Silence of Bones by June Hur — An atmospheric murder mystery set in 1800, Joseon.
4) Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon — A charming enemies-to-lovers romcom that takes place during a senior year scavenger hunt across the city of Seattle.
5) Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram — A story about a teen named Darius who visits Iran for the first time to see his grandparents. Beautifully written, and it really made me want to drink tea.
6) A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown — This West African folklore inspired fantasy had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. It was that gripping and exciting.
7) Harley in the Sky — Akemi Dawn Bowman’s writing always speaks straight to my heart and this circus-centered story was no exception.
8) This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — I have never read a time travel book – or any book for that matter – quite like this one. Prose like poetry.
9) The List of Things that Will Not Change — Reading Rebecca Stead’s writing is like a masterclass in middle grade voice. I always feel like I’m hopping right into a character’s head when I read her work.
10) So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo — A very informative, helpful, and honest must-read.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Eat shaved ice dessert.
Best date you've ever had?
On my first date with my now husband, we went hiking to a waterfall, only it was winter and the ground was frozen solid so we ended up slipping and sliding all along the trails. It was like ice skating, except in ill-equipped shoes and the added challenge of trying not to collide into trees. We got so many bruises that day from falling. It was painful. But very memorable!
If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
I would go back to the time I was living in Seoul for an internship after graduating university. I think if I had a second chance at it, I would try to travel more within South Korea and see different parts of the country while I was there!
What are 4 things you never leave home without?
My wallet, chapstick, keys, and face lotion.
Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
Probably South Korea when I was a kid for a family trip, though I was so young I don’t remember much about it.
First Heartbreak?
When I was a teenager.
Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?
I would choose true love with a guarantee of heart break. Deeply painful, but part of life and growth.
Q&A: Sarah Suk, Author of ‘Made In Korea’
The Nerd Daily·Writers Corner·May 12, 2021·4 min read
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Article contributed by Julia B
Frankly in Love meets Shark Tank in this feel-good romantic comedy about two entrepreneurial Korean American teens who butt heads—and maybe fall in love—while running competing Korean beauty businesses at their high school.
We chat with debut author Sarah Suk about Made In Korea, as well as her writing process, inspiration, and more!
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your time! Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself and what you love to write the most?
Thanks so much for having me! So I’m Sarah *virtual wave* and I live in Vancouver, Canada where I write books for kids and teens. I love film photography, spending time by the water, and making souffle pancakes. As for what I love to write the most, I’d say I have a soft spot for natural dialogue, character relationships, and food descriptions that make me hungry.
It is so exciting that Made In Korea is your YA Debut! How do you feel about your first ever book being out in the world?
Oh man. Exciting is definitely the word for it! I’ve dreamed of being a published author since I was a kid so it feels very surreal that my debut novel will soon be hitting shelves. It also feels quite vulnerable to have my work going out there, knowing that it won’t be just mine anymore, but will now belong to readers. It’s both wonderful and scary. But overall, incredibly exciting.
Can you tell us what this book is about?
Made in Korea is a young adult romcom about two teens selling Korean beauty products at school and going head to head to out-sell each other… and maybe falling in love along the way.
If you could describe Made In Korea in one sentence, what would it be?
Come for the high school rivalry, stay for the Hi-Chews.
Who was your favorite character to write? Do you see yourself in them?
Would it be cheating to say all of them? Haha. I loved writing from the POVs of both my main characters, Valerie Kwon and Wes Jung. They’re so different from each other, yet I feel like I see parts of myself in both of them. I relate with Valerie’s ambition and tendency to define herself by her goals, as well as Wes’ passion for the arts and people pleasing nature. I love them both a lot, in all their quirks and character flaws.
What inspired you to write Made In Korea?
My inspiration for Made in Korea began with the desire to write a fun, contemporary, unapologetically Korean diaspora story. It started with the thought, ‘I want to write a story about teens selling K-beauty products at school, but I don’t know what else they do yet’ and it just kept on growing from there!
What was / were the biggest aspect(s) you learned while writing your book?
One of the biggest things I learned was how my characters can sometimes know the story better than I do. I was surprised by how much they ended up guiding the plot and showing me what the story was meant to be. Even though I started off with a chapter-by-chapter outline, I found that things changed as I actually started writing and there were moments where I felt like a character was telling me, “No no I would never do something like that” or “I think this should happen instead.” I found that occurred a lot in my process. Writing, especially in the first draft, is largely discovering, and my characters end up being my teachers.
See also
Q&A: James Wade, Author of ‘Hollow Out The Dark’
Did 2020 in any way positively or negatively affect your writing process?
I’d say both. On the negative end, I found it really difficult to focus on anything, let alone writing, in the midst of all the pandemic news, especially in the early days (though, to be honest, even now at times). I also really miss writing in cafes and libraries, which I used to do often. On the positive end, I’m very grateful that the pandemic didn’t affect my job situation too much and that I can keep on writing. That’s a real privilege and I’ve been trying to make the most of the extra time I have at home. 2020 was also the year I got an ergonomic chair which has done wonders for those long writing days!
Do you have any advice you would give to aspiring writers who want to take their work into the world of publishing?
Keep on writing. It sounds simple, but there are days where that can feel really hard and all you want to do is quit for good. Just remember that you’re only going to get better and better with each thing you write so don’t give up. No one can tell your stories the way you can.
What are your favorite reads and what recommendations can you make to readers?
If you’re looking for more young adult romcoms, I would highly recommend Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, and Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo. For recent releases that I absolutely loved or am eager to read: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney, and Like Home by Louisa Onomé. Finally, for some of my all-time favorites: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.
Lastly, do you have any other projects in the works?
I do! I can’t share too much about it yet, but I will say that it’s quite different from Made in Korea in that it’s not a romcom, though it still focuses heavily on Korean family dynamics. It also takes place in a setting that holds a very special place in my heart. I hope I can share more soon!
Celebrating Korean diaspora joy with Made in Korea author Sarah Suk
Author Sarah Suk chats with Cold Tea Collective about her debut novel Made in Korea, what it means to be Korean Canadian, and the importance of celebrating Asian joy.
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By Ashley J Chong ● Arts & Culture, Cold Tea Reads ● May 16, 2021
Sarah Suk with the poster of her book Made in Korea
In a time when being Asian has taken on additional weight and affiliation, Sarah Suk’s debut novel Made in Korea reminds us of Asian joy. Centered on a competition between two student businesses selling K-Beauty and K-Pop items, the book remains bright while not shying away from discussions on cultural identity and family dynamics.
“Being Korean is actually a joy for me and something I celebrate,” Suk said, and this can be felt in the story and the characters that have heart and fearless teenage energy.
Cold Tea Collective got to chat with Suk about Made in Korea, what it means to be a Korean Canadian, and the importance of joy.
The constant dream
Suk always knew that she wanted to be a writer. But more than just thinking about it, she applied herself even at a young age, writing short stories for the Neopian Times on the popular online world of Neopets. This then shifted into fan fiction in high school. And then it blossomed into the present day, being a published author.
“The dream was always there since I was a young kid,” Suk said.
Still, Suk didn’t know how the dream would play out. She initially wrote a different book about fantasy tweens. While trying to sell it, she started writing Made in Korea. Although it’s not what she started her journey with, Suk went into the process knowing that anything could happen.
“Putting out a story that feels true to me and who I am as a person is more important than which book [started] the journey,” she said.
See also: 10 books by Asian Canadian and Asian American women you need to add to your reading list
The classic diaspora question
Made in Korea features a cast of Korean Americans from different backgrounds, ranging from main lead Wes who’s a Third Culture Kid (individuals who have lived in multiple countries growing up), Valerie who is born and raised in the same town, and Pauline, who is half Korean. These were intentional decisions Suk made, to show that no one in the Korean diaspora community has the same experience.
But every diaspora person, Korean or not, has had questions about where they belong. In one poignant scene, Suk summed up this quintessential diaspora question:
“If you’re not Korean-Korean, where do you fit as a Korean person in the world?”
Made in Korea book cover
Cover of Made in Korea. Photo submitted.
Suk is the most like Valerie, having been born and raised in Vancouver. It’s the city she knows best, and has seen her grow up. Still, a mere few hours north of her city at a farmer’s market, a white woman exclaimed that all of China was at the market, even though it was just Suk’s family and two other Asians.
“Even in this country where I was born, it will always feel like ‘all of China is here today’ when I’m in it,” Suk said.
But Korea wasn’t the answer either. Suk studied abroad in Seoul, and lived there after graduating for an internship. She admitted that it felt like home in a way Vancouver never did, similar to how a parent’s house feels familiar. Still, it was clear that she didn’t grow up in Seoul, and she also headbutted against some cultural differences.
Is there an answer, then? Suk’s not sure, but she found comfort in changing her perspective of what “home” means.
“Wanting one city to encompass home for me is in and of itself such a big ask that I don’t know if it’s possible,” she said. “Now I associate home with pockets of places and people versus entire landscapes. It feels a bit more like a traveling circus sometimes, but it feels more rooted, in a way.”
See also: Defining identity beyond a passport and ethnicity
K-Beauty, K-Pop, and Korean diaspora
In the book, there’s a competition between student businesses based on K-Beauty products and K-Pop. Both businesses are popular because of such a high demand for Korean products.
As a ’90s kid, Suk grew up watching Hallyu, or Korean pop culture, grow from something within Korean diaspora communities to being popular worldwide. She’s excited that content is more accessible and getting the recognition it deserves, and yet there is also a moment of pause. Growing up as part of a minority, it was a struggle to accept her Korean identity because it made her different.
Suk said that one of the hardest things was weekly Korean school on Saturdays, which meant that she couldn’t spend the day watching cartoons or going to Saturday birthday parties. Her schedule was different from her peers, and so was the media she consumed, which others called weird.
“People can [now] like Korean things so easily whereas for me, it felt like a big hurdle I had to jump,” Suk said. “It feels like an oversimplification of what it was like for me growing up.”
BTS
K-pop’s biggest international hit — BTS. Photo credit: Big Hit Entertainment
With Korean products being in such high demand currently, there is pride but also, unfortunately, weird encounters, including people telling Suk that they were more Korean than her because they knew more K-Dramas or K-Pop songs.
Thankfully, these are a minority of her experiences.
See also: K-pop the Odyssey: A journey through law, music, and identity
Unapologetically Korean North American
Suk went into writing Made in Korea with the goal of writing an unapologetically Korean North American story. She wanted to depict characters who fully embraced and enjoyed who they were without feeling sorry about it.
She wanted to show that contradicting things can exist. In particular, the family dynamics are written as is, without skirting away from awkward conversations, unanswered questions, or simple gestures.
Suk also doesn’t magically solve misunderstandings or tensions within families by the end of the book. Nothing wraps up neatly with a bow. In that sense, it is more reflective of actual families and what immigrant children often have to do: translate small gestures from parents who can have difficulty communicating with words.
Sarah Suk with her book, Made in Korea
Sarah Suk with her book, Made in Korea. Photo submitted.
By writing a story that features a cast with different upbringings and imperfect families, Suk wants to make a space where Asian people can feel like they can be fully human and fully who they are. In an age where people threaten or harm Asians for walking around or even existing, Suk leans into the idea of joy as resistance.
“We’re not just scared; we’re brave and tenacious and joyful and creative,” she said. “I want to make space for Asians to be all of that — in our fears, our creativity, our bravery, our growing pains, in our love, in our mistakes.”
Suk wanted to show Valerie and Wes as teenagers doing teenager things like falling in love, saying things they regret, believing in themselves, and growing as people, because all of these things are part of what it is to be human.
“It was a joy for me to create these characters and have the honor of telling their story,” Suk said. “It was a joyful experience; I hope that translates.”
Made In Korea will be published on May 18, 2021.
Five questions for John Cho and Sarah Suk
by Horn Book
Jul 26, 2022 | Filed in Newsletters
Troublemaker (Little, Brown, 10 years and up) is the middle-grade debut — starred by The Horn Book — of acclaimed actor John Cho, co-written by YA author Sarah Suk. The story takes place in 1992 and follows one (fictional) Korean American preteen’s experiences and observations surrounding what were then called the L.A. Riots. John was recently at ALA Annual, in conversation with Children’s Literature Legacy Award winner Grace Lin, and is now back on location and currently filming.
1. John, how was your time at the American Library Association conference?
John Cho: It was so fantastic to be in the company of librarians, the most essential of workers, especially since they were so kind to me as a kid who relied on books to get by in the world.
2. How did this collaboration come to be, and what was the writing process like?
Sarah Suk: John was looking for a co-writer and I was drawn to the idea of working on a middle-grade project about the L.A. Riots. I live in Canada, and at the time we were writing the book he was in New Zealand, so the process consisted entirely of video calls and emails and sending pages back and forth across the globe (digitally). For me, co-writing this book was a very intensive, rewarding experience, and I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of it.
3. This is a work of historical fiction, but did either of you have specific background knowledge or personal memories of what were then called the L.A. Riots? Did your research uncover anything especially surprising?
SS: Personally, I’d heard a lot of stories about the L.A. Riots growing up and how it impacted the Korean American community, which is what made me interested in Troublemaker in the first place. To be honest, I don’t recall when I first heard of the events. It almost feels like something I’ve just always known about. However, I definitely learned a lot more during our research. We watched documentaries, read articles, interviewed people. It was a very immersive process.
As far as surprising goes, I found it unsettling how much the events of the 1992 Riots reflected our present-day current events. It was very discouraging at times, and I found myself thinking, Has there really been no progress? But at the same time, there are so many activists who have done tremendous work in the past thirty years, and that certainly can’t be ignored. There were also no middle-grade books like this when I was a kid, so I believe the fact that these stories are getting out there to a wider audience now means that change is happening, no matter how discouraging it can feel sometimes.
JC: Probably the most intriguing piece of research was from an interview with Richard Choi, a broadcaster at Radio Korea at the time. In addition to giving us his personal perspective on the event, he let us know that Koreans would call in to the radio station with all sorts of questions that would be small Google searches today (“laundromat near me” or “where can I find a notary?”). I found this incredibly entertaining, and we put a bit of it in the book!
4. John, we imagine your day-job requires openness and vulnerability — how does middle-grade fiction writing compare?
JC: In my view, the quality required in both acting and writing middle-grade fiction is empathy. Seems hard to come by these days, so it was a pleasure to think about multiple characters and be on all their sides.
5. Sarah, since this is our Back-to-School issue we have to ask: Jordan gets suspended, but what’s the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into at school? And is there a favorite teacher you’d like to shout out?
SS: I never got caught, so I never got in trouble! Honestly, shout out to all the teachers who put up with reading my weird creative writing projects. Thanks for all your encouragement (and to those who gave out stickers, thanks for those too)!
From the July 2022 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.
Vancouver writer Sarah Suk's new book explores memory and Korean Canadian identity
The Space Between Here & Now follows a teen who warps back in time through scents linked to memories
CBC News · Posted: Nov 26, 2023 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 26, 2023
An East Asian woman holds up a book with a colourful cover while seated in a radio studio.
The Space Between Here & Now is a book by Vancouver's Sarah Suk, released this fall. She spoke to the CBC about the book and her thoughts on her central character. (Jeremy Ratt/CBC)
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In The Space Between Here & Now, Vancouver-based novelist Sarah Suk looks at a teenager's search for answers exploring time and memory.
The young adult book, released this fall, is Suk's second novel after Made in Korea, which was named one of the best Canadian books for kids and young adults of 2022 by CBC Books.
The Space Between Here & Now looks at the life of 17-year-old Aimee Roh, a Korean Canadian girl who has "sensory time warp syndrome" — a condition that makes her time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory.
When she travels to a memory of her estranged mother that doesn't match up with the story she was told, she travels to Korea to unravel the mystery behind her memories.
Suk spoke to North by Northwest host Margaret Gallagher about putting elements of herself in her book, and the desire to live in the present.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Where does the title come from?
I think so much of this book is about the character, Aimee, learning to fight for her present.
In the story, she's always travelling back to her past and back to her memories physically. And she's kind of trying to figure out a way to stop time travelling so much so that she can fully live in her present.
CanadianThe Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
CanadianMade in Korea
I kind of felt like she was existing in this space that was neither here or now, and it's kind of about her feeling in between in a sense, and trying to find her footing more in the present moment.
That works well, and she's kind of physically being caught between the past and the present. But she's also, in an emotional sense, she's kind of caught between places as well.
I think I wanted her emotional journey to really parallel that physical journey.
I actually first had the idea for this book many years ago when I was in university. I first learned then that of all of our five senses, scent is the one that's most connected to our memories.
I remember learning that fact and thinking, oh, like that's so interesting. What if we actually physically went back to our memories through scent?
I had that idea, but I just didn't really know what to do with it.
But it wasn't until many years later that I was kind of going through my own mental health struggles — figuring out how to resolve things that had happened in the past, or feeling like I was always living with one foot in the past. In a sense, not quite really living in the present.
I wanted [Aimee's] emotional journey to also encapsulate that feeling of being stuck somewhere. It was kind of when I learned her emotional core that I understood ... why the physical time travel was significant.
I wanted to capture that kind of teen feeling of firsts, I guess, and also of kind of growing into your own skin and of navigating the relationships in your life.
It's interesting too, because you've got the concept of memory and Aimee is able to look back on some childhood memories through more mature eyes.
I do wonder that about myself too.
Like, if I were to ever go back to my past and see it from a different perspective — both from age but also like a different physical perspective — I think you would just notice a lot more things that maybe you didn't back then when you're living in it.
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[The book is] very much is a journey of her also questioning what she thought she knew and also coming to terms with what she knows now.
On the left is a photo of a woman looking into the camera. On the right is the cover of a book.
The Space Between Here & Now also includes other people with the rare condition to travel back in time through their senses. (Farisa Thang, Quill Tree Books)
Language is an important aspect of this as well. The fact that Aimee is able to speak Korean.
I grew up speaking Korean with my parents, and I still speak Korean pretty fluently now.
As a kid, I had to go to Korean school every Saturday. Absolutely hated it. But now looking back, I'm just really grateful that I did grow up speaking Korean and that I can speak it now.
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I think that language is something that can really bridge our understanding of culture and our sense of belonging as well.
How has writing this book changed your perspective?
Getting to know Aimee, in some sense, helped me to get to know myself.
I'm not a super autobiographical author ... but there's definitely elements that I put in of myself — of my life or my experiences — into my books.
I think just seeing Aimee go through her process of untangling her past and kind of learning to live in the present really made me appreciate that aspect more of my life.
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Writing her, and getting to know her journey, has helped me to pause more to do that ... because that is so much of what she longs for.
I felt also very surprised by how inspired I felt by her by the end. Of just her, just her desire to really live. And I think that makes me want to live more in the present moment myself.
Sense of smell is triggering time travel device in Vancouver writer's new Y/A novel
Sarah Suk's The Space Between Here & Now centres on teen girl's bid to get answers about missing mom
Author of the article:By Dana Gee
Published Feb 14, 2024
Last updated Feb 14, 2024
4 minute read
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Vancouver writer Sarah Suk's latest Y/A novel The Space Between Here & Now focuses on a teenage girl who has a sense of smell so powerful it immerses her deep into memories. Photo by Farisia Thang /sun
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Vancouver writer Sarah Suk’s latest Y/A novel The Space Between Here & Now focuses on a teenage girl who has a sense of smell so powerful it causes her to time travel back to moments in her life. And, yes, those moments are not always enjoyable, let alone explainable.
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Postmedia caught up with Suk and asked her some questions about her intriguing book.
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Photo of cover of the novel The Space Between Here & Now
The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk Photo by Courtesy of Quill Tree Books /sun
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Q: Your protagonist 17-year-old Aimee has something called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition where a smell can cause her to travel to a moment in her life. What inspired this device?
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A: It was when I first learned that of all our five senses, scent is the one most connected to memory. It made me wonder, what if scents could physically make us travel back in time? I feel like a lot of my inspiration arrives like that — in a random fact I learn or a detail that catches my attention and makes me think of what-if scenarios.
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Q: What does Aimee’s unique ability offer you as a writer of fiction?
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A: I love time-travel stories and I’ve always wanted to write one. Aimee’s experience gave me the chance to explore it in a way that felt both fantastical and grounded in reality. In many ways, Sensory Time Warp Syndrome parallels a lot of chronic conditions that people in our real, non-time-travelling world live with on a daily basis, and I enjoyed the process of writing about that through a speculative lens.
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Q: How are you and Aimee alike?
A: We are both very introspective people with an appreciation for art, doing our best to live in the present.
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Q: Aimee becomes a bit of a detective as she seeks out the truth about her mother. Any thought of this character perhaps returning in other novels where she might use her unique gift to help others? Maybe solve crimes?
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A: I don’t have any current plans to return to Aimee’s character, but I do love the idea of her helping others. I think she would be very good at that.
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Q: What was it that made you want to explore grief in this novel?
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A: Grief and loss are themes I often gravitate toward in my stories because I think it appears in our lives in many ways, some more obvious than others. Aimee is navigating the grief of her mom’s abandonment, as well as the loss of missing out on certain experiences that her peers are doing, like driving and dating because she feels held back by her condition. Loss is such a universal human experience, but we all respond to it in vastly different ways, and I’m curious about exploring that in my writing.
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Q: What do you hope readers take away from this story?
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A: I always hope my books will find the readers that need them most in that moment for whatever reason, whether it makes them laugh or think or feel seen. I feel the same for this story, with the added bonus that I hope it will encourage people to take a breath and enjoy the present moment.
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Q: What kind of feedback do you get from younger fans?
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A: I hear a lot from young readers who are also aspiring authors, and they tell me about the parts of my books that inspire them to keep chasing their dreams. I always feel so touched by these messages. It’s such a huge honour to be part of their writing journey in that way. I also love hearing about their favourite scenes and characters and seeing the art they make based on those things.
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Q: Do you have any rules that you follow when writing novels for a younger audience?
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A: I don’t have any rules per se, but I do try to be mindful of keeping the voice as genuine as I can and to remember that my goal first and foremost is to tell a great story, not to teach a lesson.
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Q: What are your favourite Y/A novels?
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A: Some recent young adult novels I loved are The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh, I’ll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson, and Darius the Great is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram. As for when I was growing up, I really enjoyed Kit Pearson’s books for children. I remember rereading A Handful of Time and Awake, and Dreaming multiple times as a kid and feeling very inspired to write my own books one day.
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Suk, Sarah MADE IN KOREA Simon & Schuster (Teen None) $19.99 5, 18 ISBN: 978-1-5344-7437-6
A rivalry between two entrepreneurial teens becomes a team effort that enables them to fulfill their aspirations.
Korean American high school senior Valerie Kwon runs a wildly popular K-beauty business at school with the help of her cousin, Charlie Song. But when new student Wes Jung enters the picture, he inadvertently becomes a rival when he brings to school K-pop–branded lip balm; he soon realizes that there’s a market for the branded merchandise he has access to through his advertising executive mom. A wager ensues: Whoever makes the most money during the school year gets both businesses’ earnings. Both Valerie and Wes feel unseen at home. Valerie’s parents don’t take her passion for business seriously, instead constantly negatively comparing her to her older sister, Samantha. Valerie dreams of earning enough to take her beloved grandmother to Paris. Wes, a dedicated jazz saxophonist, plans to use his earnings to attend music school despite his parents’ disapproval of this seemingly impractical career plan. Over the course of the competition, the two fall for one another and also make progress in addressing their innermost dreams with their families. The alternating first-person narration moves skillfully between Valerie and Wes, and peripheral characters are well rounded and realistically portrayed. Details about contemporary Korean American life and culture ring true, adding texture to the story.
An engaging, fast-paced romance between two teens longing for acceptance. (Romance. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Suk, Sarah: MADE IN KOREA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A656696345/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=842417b8. Accessed 1 July 2025.
SUK, Sarah. Made in Korea. 336p. S. & S. May 2021. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781534474376.
Gr 8 Up--In this enemies-turned-lovers #OwnVoices romance, two students will compete to rule the Korean beauty products scene in their school. Senior Valerie Kwon and her cousin Charlie rule the school business field with their K-beauty products sold out of Val's locker. All is well until new student Wes Jung poses a threat by selling merchandise and products from the hottest K-pop band. Both are desperate for money, as Val hopes to take her rapidly ailing grandmother to Paris, and Wes needs registration funds to apply to his dream music school, although his parents know nothing of this. Competition is fierce, and neither business is above spying and sabotage. As they get to know each other more deeply, feelings arise on both sides, but much is at stake to cave into something as inconvenient as love. Suk keeps the story moving fast with alternating narrators, and the dialogue and circumstances are believable. Readers will relate to each main character as they both struggle with parents, friends, school, and dreams. VERDICT A great romance that depicts Asian American and international identities.--Carol Youssif Taipei American Sch., Taiwan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Youssif, Carol. "SUK, Sarah. Made in Korea." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 5, May 2021, p. 89. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A661255321/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=beedbf47. Accessed 1 July 2025.
Made in Korea. By Sarah Suk. 2021. 336p. Simon 8i Schuster, $ 19.99 (9781534474376). Gr. 7-12.
Senior Valerie Kwon runs the top student business at Crescent Brook High, selling beauty products with her cousin and making a killing in cash. She hopes this will get her into a top business college and finance her grandmother's dream trip to Paris. Nevertheless, her parents and perfect older sister frustratingly think it's a cute hobby. Enter Wes Jung, a new student and business competitor, who begins selling promo products for a popular K-pop group, for which his mother is a publicist. When the two businesses clash and nearly burn, Valerie and Wes find themselves facing off in more ways than one. Suk's fast-paced debut is filled with plotting, spying, and the bet to end all bets. Family dynamics and peer relationships are front and center, with all lessons learned adding to the story's page-turning fun. Readers who like their romances on the schemy side will be in for a treat with this first novel starring a pair of entrepreneurial teens. --Jeanne Fredriksen
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Fredriksen, Jeanne. "Made in Korea." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 19-20, 1 June 2021, pp. 78+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A666230289/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bf98ad7f. Accessed 1 July 2025.
CHO, John with Sarah Suk. Troublemaker. 224p. Little, Brown. Mar. 2022. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780759554474.
Gr 5 Up--It is 1992, and the Rodney King verdict has just been returned. Riots explode across L.A. Told from Jordan's middle school Korean American perspective, the book delves into issues like the challenges faced by immigrant families, systemic racism, and a flawed justice system. Jordan has been in some trouble at school, and he and his father are not speaking. His father leaves his gun behind when he goes out to board up their family's store, so Jordan decides to take it to him for protection. He and his friend Mike head out into Koreatown with different agendas; Mike wants to retrieve something from his family's restaurant, and Jordan is determined to keep his father safe. Jordan and Mike are often in trouble, but, luckily, the gun stays in its case in his backpack. Some strengths of this novel are Jordan's close family and his relationship with his older sister Sarah. She may be successful in school, but she has her secrets, too. Despite disagreements, it is clear that the family cares for one another. This is a good middle grade historical fiction. Its main character is relatable, and the fast pace keeps readers engaged. Some young readers may not understand the trials of trying to find a pay phone, but as Cho's author's note points out, many of the conflicts in 1992 are still relevant today. VERDICT A strong purchase for libraries with readers who enjoy recent historical books or have an interest in racial justice.--Claire Covington
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Covington, Claire. "CHO, John with Sarah Suk. Troublemaker." School Library Journal, vol. 68, no. 4, Apr. 2022, p. 135. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A699585735/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6e0fb9df. Accessed 1 July 2025.
Troublemaker. By John Cho. Read by the author. 2022. shr. Hachette Audio, DD, $28.73 (9781549165986). Gr. 6-9.
Sa-i-gu (Korean for 4-2-9 as in April 29, 1992) was a defining moment in Korean American history; it was when 2,300-plus Korean-owned businesses were destroyed in the Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of Rodney King's brutal arresting officers. Actor Cho makes his fiction debut with Sarah Suk (Made in Korea, 2021): their initial intention for a middle-grade mystery was overshadowed by the George Floyd murder, nationwide protests, gun violence, and anti-Asian hate crimes. Amidst such tragedy--past and ongoing--Cho and Suk created 12-year-old troublemaker Jordan, who, over a single evening, proves he's a hero, most importantly to himself. Cho, of course, narrates. Jordan is nothing like his perfect older sister. He's just been suspended for cheating, yet another disappointment--especially for his father, with whom he's recently had a horrible fight. Tonight, though, is different. Appa still isn't home from boarding up the family store while reports of unrest proliferate. Jordan must somehow keep Appa safe, even if that means delivering a gun to ensure Appa's protection. Cho's tender narration might not be impulsive Jordan's ideal match, but he undoubtedly provides an empathic portal into an immigrant family on the verge of compelling transformation.--Terry Hong
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
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Hong, Terry. "Troublemaker." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 18, 15 May 2022, p. 63. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A704943176/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=21ca0b35. Accessed 1 July 2025.
TROUBLEMAKERBy John Cho with Sarah Suk
In the author's note for his new middle-grade novel, ''Troublemaker,'' John Cho reflects on one of the central questions of children's literature: What is appropriate for young readers? Cho's book, written with the young adult novelist Sarah Suk, takes place on the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising ignited by the Rodney King verdict. It follows the sixth grader Jordan Park as he runs around a city on fire trying to bring the gun his father has forbidden him to touch to the family's store so his dad will be able to protect himself.
Cho struggled with whether to include a gun in a book for children, as well as with how to address the mature subject matter of violence and racism. Then he thought about his own kids, who at 7 and 12 had already been through active shooter drills at school. He came to the same conclusion as an author that he and his wife had come to as parents when the children saw anti-Asian graffiti on their street: that ''sanitizing the truth too much'' would be ''a disservice, an abdication of our responsibility to prepare them for independence.''
''Troublemaker'' is written in the plain, clear language of its 12-year-old narrator. The atmosphere and social context come through, but Jordan is a child so he's less concerned with the ravages of structural racism than with mending his relationship with his father. When he comes home from school on the afternoon of the verdict, he can barely face his parents: ''I never knew a pair of shoes could scare me so much, but when I see Umma's and Appa's sneakers by the door when I walk in, I nearly jump right out of my skin.'' He and his dad had avoided each other since their ''Big Fight'' weeks earlier, and now he's been suspended for cheating on a Spanish quiz. His parents have more immediate concerns. They own a liquor store in South Central, and before Jordan can even speak to them his father leaves to board it up.
When Appa doesn't call home for hours, Jordan comes up with a heartbreakingly misguided scheme. He finds his father's gun -- which Appa removed from the store and packed away in a closet the day after a Korean shopkeeper shot and killed 15-year-old Latasha Harlins because she (mistakenly) believed Harlins was stealing a bottle of orange juice -- puts it in his backpack and hitches a ride with his friend Mike and his older brother in hopes of delivering the weapon (which is, at least, unloaded) to the liquor store. ''I thought it would prove to him that I can be the person he wants me to be. Someone who can do things right for a change.'' It doesn't take long for the plan to go off the rails.
Cho has spent much of his acting career fighting for better Asian American representation. In ''Troublemaker,'' he paints Korean Los Angeles with bracing specificity -- not just the immigrant family dynamics, but also the delinquent church kids, the dried-squid-eating grandpa and even the ''damyo, thick and heavy blankets printed with tiger faces and giant red roses.''
The novel is also a resounding rebuttal of the model minority myth -- not because Jordan is a ''bad kid,'' as his father regrets having said during the Big Fight, but because he's wayward and loving, sweet and frustrating, and sure, a bit of a troublemaker. As he traverses the city searching for his lost backpack with his older sister, who came looking for him in her car and has secrets of her own, he muses that ''if you're Asian, people think you're good and quiet and expect you to stay out of the way. To know your place. ... I wish they could see us now.''
Steph Cha's most recent novel is ''Your House Will Pay.'' Troublemaker By John Cho with Sarah Suk 224 pp. Little, Brown. $16.99. (Ages 8 to 12)
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Cha, Steph. "Good Trouble." The New York Times Book Review, 1 May 2022, p. 18(L). Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A702124471/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=47e0f047. Accessed 1 July 2025.
* The Space Between Here & Now
Sarah Suk. Quill Tree, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-325513-5
In this speculative novel by Suk (Made in Korea), Kotean Canadian 17-year-old Aimee Roh navigates sensory time warp syndrome (STWS), a condition that causes her to physically travel back in time to certain memories when exposed to specific triggers. Her occasional disappearances are prompted by scent memory, and when they start increasing in frequency--and lasting for longer durations--she's desperate to see a specialist. But her father, who has been distant ever since her mother left for Korea, forbids it. After experiencing a memory that doesn't line up with what she's been told of her mother, Aimee travels from Vancouver to Seoul during her spring break seeking answers. There, she reconnects with long-lost childhood friend Junho Kim. A leisurely buildup hits its stride once Aimee leaves Canada; her search for her mother, rekindling her relationship with Junho, and meeting other Koreans with STWS combine into an uplifting and pensive adventure. Aimee and Junho's quippy banter, interspersed with heavier conversations about their families, culminates in a natural romance that's easy to root for, though Aimee's richly wrought character arc remains the focus of this unique take on travel, grief, and connection. Ages 13-up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Space Between Here & Now." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 35, 28 Aug. 2023, p. 122. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A765086268/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b1967563. Accessed 1 July 2025.
Suk, Sarah THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins (Teen None) $19.99 10, 31 ISBN: 9780063255135
A Korean Canadian teen with Sensory Time Warp Syndrome looks for answers.
Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has a rare condition that causes her to spontaneously travel back in time to specific memories when she's exposed to relevant sensory triggers. Since her mother left when Aimee was a child, it's just her and Appa now, and he refuses to acknowledge that Aimee, whose uncontrollable disappearances are becoming more frequent, might need help. After an especially long disappearance into a revealing memory about her mother, Aimee starts to wonder if there was more to her mother's departure than Appa let on. With the encouragement of her best friend, Nikita Lai-Sanders, she seizes the opportunity to go to Korea to search for her mother and find a way forward with her STWS. This is a quietly moving story that explores family secrets, shifting memories, and finding one's home, with aâ gentle romance and a time-traveling mystery to further propel readers. The narrative is interspersed with supporting artifacts--notes from the school counselor's file on Aimee, snippets of conversations from online STWS forums, entries from Aimee's journal--that extend the worldbuilding. First-person narrator Aimee is a well-developed lead. While a few of the secondary characters are somewhat lacking in depth, Suk deftly handles the time-travel premise, and the story's emotional core resonates. Most primary characters are Korean Canadian or Korean.
Evocative and original. (Fiction. 12-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Suk, Sarah: THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A762668990/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f1038c5b. Accessed 1 July 2025.
The Space between Here & Now. By Sarah Suk. Oct. 2023. 320p. HarperCollins/Quill Tree, $19.99 (9780063255135). Gr. 9-12.
Aimee disappeared at lunch yesterday-literally, for two minutes--to relive a memory of her estranged mother. And again, after school. She has a time-travel syndrome linked to her sense of smell, which means she can disappear at any time, from any place, with little or no warning. When the smell of sawdust takes her back to a memory that doesn't agree with the family history her father has told her, she starts to wonder about her mother's exit from her life and travels to Korea to find answers. What she finds are new friends, a family that offers small clues, and maybe the truth about her mom and her syndrome. Sensory Time Warp Syn drome (STWS) is a bit of a leap, but Suk's compelling and realistic writing makes it worthwhile, and inclusions like notes from Aimee's counselor and a pamphlet on STWS add to the story, drawing parallels to depression or anxiety. Recommend this to your teens who loved XO, Kitty and those who are a little adventurous.--Stacey Comfort
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Comfort, Stacey. "The Space between Here & Now." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 4, 15 Oct. 2023, p. 52. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770323954/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=df308856. Accessed 1 July 2025.
Meet Me at Blue Hour
Sarah Suk. Quill Tree, $19.99 (288p)
ISBN 978-0-06-325518-0
Ever since her Korean Canadian BFF Lucas Pak ghosted her at 14 after she confessed her feelings to him, Yena Bae, also Korean Canadian, hasn't stuck with "anything or anyone for very long." With no post-high school plans, Yena takes a summer job at her mother's memory-erasing clinic in Busan, South Korea. Lucas, meanwhile, travels to Busan on a desperate quest to admit his grandfather, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, into a memoryrestoring trial spearheaded by Yena's mother. Though Yena is shocked to find archival evidence indicating that Lucas erased her from his memory, she nevertheless feels compelled to help him after they reconnect in Busan. But with the long-term effects of memory erasure undetermined, could her presence jeopardize Lucas's health? Via Lucas and Yena's alternating perspectives, interspersed with sections narrated by anthropomorphized objects (including a movie reel and a lawn mower), Suk (The Space Between Here & Now) highlights the intimate connections between senses and memory. As the teens unspool secrets and awaken old affections, this uniquely structured, memory-bending speculative romance and love letter to Busan raises meaty questions about scientific morality.
Ages 13-up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Apr.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
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"Meet Me at Blue Hour." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 2, 13 Jan. 2025, p. 58. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828299940/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74d141a2. Accessed 1 July 2025.
Suk, Sarah MEET ME AT BLUE HOUR Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins (Teen None) $19.99 4, 1 ISBN: 9780063255180
In a world where memory tampering is possible, two Korean Canadian teens deal with the repercussions of memory loss.
Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is in Busan, South Korea, for the summer, working at her divorced mother's memory erasure clinic. When she runs into her childhood best friend, Lucas Pak, who left Vancouver for Alberta without a word, she's shocked--they're halfway around the world and, having discovered his memory tape at the clinic, she knows he had his memories of her erased. Lucas is in Busan visiting his grandfather, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Lucas hopes to enroll Harabeoji in the clinic's new memory restoration trial. As Lucas enlists Yena's help, she struggles with questions around his motivations while having to keep their old friendship a secret to protect him from complications of the erasure procedure. At the same time, Lucas can't shake the feeling that people are hiding something. This story explores the grief of carrying formerly shared memories alone, while also offering readers an earnest budding romance. The narrative alternates between the leads' perspectives and includes a rich tapestry of settings (a bamboo forest, a fish market) as well as flashback vignettes from the points of view of various inanimate objects (a popcorn machine, a lawn mower) whose sounds were captured on cassette tapes used for the memory erasure procedures. The novel's speculative premise offers musings on the social consequences of technology as an intriguing backdrop for a gentle friends-to-lovers romance.
Thought-provoking and comforting.(Speculative romance. 13-18)
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"Suk, Sarah: MEET ME AT BLUE HOUR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128409/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=33c68781. Accessed 1 July 2025.