Three siblings. Two human, one robot. The spectacular new debut about what it means to be alive.
In a recently reunified Korea, robots have integrated seamlessly into society. They are our teachers, our bus drivers and policemen. They are our lovers. They are even our children.
Eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through scrap metal in a Seoul junkyard, searching for anything that might repair her failing body. There amongst the piles of junk she happens across a robot boy: lifelike, strange and unlike anything she's seen before.
Across the city, estranged siblings Jun and Morgan Cho haven't spoken since the abrupt disappearance of their robot brother Yoyo, which shattered their childhoods and left a gaping hole in their lives. But Ruijie's discovery is about to bring the lives of brother and sister hurtling back together, forcing them to confront the reality of Yoyo's true nature, and the dark purpose their father never revealed.
At once a dazzling work of speculative fiction and a poignant family drama, Luminous is a timely, unforgettable story about what it really means to be human.
Luminous by Silvia Park is published on 20 March 2025 by Magpie/Oneworld. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
Speculative fiction is one of my favourite genres, yet I shy away from traditional science-fiction. I always imagine aliens and space ships when I think of Sci-Fi, maybe it's my age, having grown up in the Star Trek era! However, sell me something that you describe as speculative and I will snap it up immediately. Luminous is most certainly speculative fiction, it is also beautifully written literary fiction with world-building and character creation that is breathtakingly precise.
It's the near future and Korea has recently been reunified. Officially, it was a peaceful process, but it becomes clear that may not be the case and there is a definite sense of superiority from those who originally lived in the South.
Robots are a totally accepted and indeed, a really important part of day to to day life. Not only do they carry out important functions in society, they can also become family members, sometimes even lovers.
Park's story revolves around a small cast of characters, each one of them finely and perfectly crafted, regardless of whether they are human or robot. Jun and Morgan are brother and sister, but they are very different, they've not been in touch with each other for years, but the re-appearance of their 'brother', Yoyo - a full robot has brought them together. Park does not give her characters easy lives. Jun works in the police, he's a trans man, who sustained multiple injuries in an accident. He has been repaired using robotic parts, he's also transgender, and he also needs to track down missing Eli; a 'girl next door' type robot who is missing.
Morgan is a robot designer, working for Imagine Friends. She is just about to launch Boy X, her design as part of the new Future X children. She also has her own personal robot - Stephen, he's also her lover.
Yoyo was their brother, completely robot and created by their highly intelligent, if often eccentric father. When Yoyo disappeared, they were distraught, he was a robot, but they loved him like the brother he was.
I find it incredibly difficult to write a review about this book. It's so special and quite unlike anything else that I've written. It is about robots, yet is it life affirming, emotional and full of heart. We are not just learning about advances in science and technology, we are discovering that despite advances in these areas, we still remain human, with all of the drama and heartache that goes along with that. Unearthing family mysteries that have long been hidden, allowing characters to look differently at each other, and themselves.
An outstanding look at human relationships, how they develop, how they change, how they can be altered. Vivid and engrossing, recommended by me.
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