The first undeniable reaction to Elaine U. Cho's debut novel, Ocean's Godori, is to its cinematic energy, immediately underscored on the opening page with telling references like "screen," "freeze-frame," and "ogle the actress." What follows is a propulsive, twisty-turny sci-fi adventure: chasing the bad guys (but what if they're the good guys?), saving lives while needing to wound and kill a few here and there, and maybe a long-shot at falling in love.

Cho's brave new world is dominated by the Alliance, a united Korea that leads the solar system. Ocean Yoon is possibly the Alliance's best pilot (ever). But she's been demoted ever since her involvement in the Hadouken incident: although Ocean took out marauding raiders and prevented the loss of one of their own, the Hadouken's captain nevertheless downgraded Ocean "for insubordination and reckless behavior." Alas, (re)actions that some might laud as courageous have made Ocean a bit of a pariah. For the last five years, she's been relegated to piloting the Ohneul, a Class 4 vehicle way below her capabilities, as the ship's XO. Still, she's managed to build a few relationships on board--if not exactly friendships, then certainly mutual respect and admiration shared with her fellow crew members. The arrival of a mysterious new medic, Haven Sasani, is about to interrupt the Ohneul's usual rhythms, and saving Ocean's life not long after meeting is quite the way to get--and hold--her attention.

Close bonds, though, are challenging for Ocean. Although she's Korean-born to a family of generations of haenyeo--"fabled women divers of Jejudo, mermaids of Korea"--Ocean wasn't welcomed into their aquatic clan. She was sent at age eight to the exclusive Savoir-Faire training ground for the next generation of Diplomats, but dropped out a year before graduation, following a tragedy that involved the loss of her beloved older brother. All her intimate relationships have been rather short-lived, the most recent imploding at a Korean BBQ gathering where she confronted her boyfriend and his lover with "How long have you two been sleeping together?"--then realized that she doesn't care.

For Ocean, the connection that matters most is with Teo Anand, second son of the eponymous Anand Tech empire's founding family, who are both revered and reviled by the public. Teo's just the spare; his heir-presumptive older brother, Declan, commands all the respect and power Teo eschews. Ocean and Teo might seem an odd pair, but they take every chance to share snacks--and secrets--when on land. And then a comatose Teo arrives on the Ohneul in an escape pod, needing refuge. When he wakes, he'll be the solar system's most wanted criminal, accused of murdering his entire family. With Teo on board, the Ohneul immediately becomes everyone's primary target. Ocean and the motley crew will need to figure out how to keep Teo--and themselves--alive, long enough to prove his innocence.

Cho, who is U.S.-born of Korean heritage, clearly derives immense pride in her background. With obvious cultural fluency, she expertly integrates Hallyu--the Korean Wave, which refers to the ongoing global popularity of South Korean culture including K-pop, K-dramas, and cuisine--throughout. Cho's title is the first indication: Godori, also known as hwatu, is a Korean card game that relies on both luck and strategic prowess, revealing the title to be an ideal metaphor for the narrative it cleverly, concisely encapsulates. Food, too, is seamlessly, delectably featured, from gochujang to ddeokbokki to banana milk. Confidence in Hallyu's staying power allows Cho to integrate Korean words--Ohneul (today), odeng (fish cakes), Daltokki (moon rabbit)--and concepts--hakwon (cram school), noonchi (something akin to empathic discretion)--without immediate, obvious translation. For inquisitive readers, however, Cho appends "Maggie's Glossary of Alliance Parlance" at book's end. Maggie is one of Ocean's crewmates; Cho delightfully infuses her voice with both insight and charm, as Maggie begins with a comical disclaimer that points at Ocean: "I have gotten all hangeul spellchecked by Ocean Yoon, so if you have a problem with it, you can take it up with her."

Indeed, Cho's use of Hallyu overtones has the cleverly thought-provoking effect of mirroring for readers Ocean's usual sense of being an outsider. Despite Ocean's Korean ethnicity, her formative years of Sav-Faire training have made her awkward in the society into which she was born. The Ohneul's newbie crewmate, Haven Sasani, is also an obvious outsider as a Mortemian, further alienated as the child of estranged parents from two different planets. While hopping the galaxy, Cho nimbly plumbs that timeless challenge: the search for belonging in a world of shifting borders and (lower-case) alliances. Beneath her inviting, absorbing writing are interrogating levels of introspection--confronting what-ifs, choices, and consequences. Cho showcases a narrative agility, rare in debut authors, dexterously providing various paths of engagement: audiences can choose to quickly consume Ocean's Godori as pop entertainment; others might respond more deeply, examining the novel's intricately intertwined cultural, historical, and philosophical layers. In a breathtaking finale, Cho leaves Ocean ample opportunity to continue that galactic chase for truth and understanding. --Terry Hong

Elaine U. Cho (photo: Sam Plott)

Elaine U. Cho's debut novel, Ocean's Godori (Hillman Grad Books/Zando, April 23, 2024), is a rollicking space adventure featuring a brave new world in which a united Korea leads the solar system, but unrest is never far away. When ace pilot Ocean Yoon's best friend's life implodes, she's the only one who might be able to save him. Cho has an MFA in flute performance from CalArts and has worked for several arts nonprofits, including ArtsWest and Seattle Music Partners. She's also a film critic for Mediaversity; a former bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company; and recently became associate editor at Shelf Awareness. Cho lives in Seattle, Wash.

Ocean's Godori is one of three inaugural titles acquired by the partnership between media powerhouse Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Books and indie publisher Zando. That's impressive recognition... and maybe a potential step toward your book transforming to the screen? Your novel is so cinematic; did you envision this as a film?

I love film so much! And there are definitely a lot of film influences, as well as many scenes that I envisioned in my head playing out like a movie before I wrote it out. When I was writing, though, I really wasn't thinking of it ever becoming a movie. Part of that is because so much of it is interior--there's a lot going on within the characters' heads and motivations, and I wasn't sure how that would translate to screen. Also, I couldn't even think past the idea of this being picked up as a book! My agent and I nearly keeled over when we heard that Lena and her team had read and enjoyed it!

Korean history and culture are deeply ingrained in your writing. Were you born in Korea? Did you have a Korean/Korean American community growing up? How much Korean do you speak? 

I was born in Portland, Oregon, but I've been all around--New York, Ohio, Texas, California, Oregon, and now Washington! So, you can really call me "all-American." That said, my family and I spoke solely Korean until I went to kindergarten, and the teachers were a bit appalled. From then on, I learned English fairly quickly and left Korean in the dust. I've gone back and visited Korea a few times, and this past year I went for the first time in 12 years! It felt very emotional.

I wouldn't say that I grew up very Korean or had a strong Korean community other than the friends my parents had. I think for our generation growing up, it was a little more ingrained to "fit in" and being Korean wasn't a part of that. It wasn't until I was a lot older that I found myself wanting to find out more, learn more, really take pride in who I am as a Korean and how I fit in the world. At first, it almost felt like... was it too late? Did I already miss the boat on being "Korean"?

Clearly not, because the Hallyu wave shows little sign of abating. Any thoughts on the popularity of all things Korean? 

A few things come to mind! Definitely ease of access helps. When we were younger, if we wanted to see the latest K-drama, we had to go borrow VHS tapes from the local grocery store. Or maybe you'd be able to nab a K-pop CD if you were lucky enough to live in Flushing, N.Y., or Los Angeles. But now with K-dramas on Netflix, music videos on YouTube, Korean books getting translated, it's really opened a floodgate in terms of what people can read and watch. Translation is a huge part of that, too! Like Bong Joon-ho [Korean director of the Oscar-winning Parasite] says, "Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."

How did you choose sci-fi as your debut genre?

Sci-fi felt like a natural fit for Ocean's. The genre is a marvelous balance of contrast--using a future setting to examine present concerns or traveling further into deep space to learn what really makes us human. I wanted to write in a genre I love, which is why Ocean's has elements like a found family of misfits in space, and hoverbike chases. But the heart of the story is about a group of people navigating their messy 20s and figuring out where they fit in. [Min Jin Lee's] Free Food for Millionaires was as much an influence as [Philip K. Dick's] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. While I was searching for translated Korean sci-fi and Korean American sci-fi, I thought... well, why not write what I want to read?

"Maggie's Glossary of Alliance Parlance" was such a delightful discovery at book's end! Long before that, though, I so appreciated your polyglot-filled text. How did you decide how much Korean to include and how much you'd translate directly or in context? 

I tried to write something true to a world--a solar--that was dominated by Korea... but what would that look like, language-wise? That's why I included "Common" [the book's universal language] which isn't necessarily English, but open to whatever language the book is read in. But there's the idea that if you're Korean, or are familiar with Hangeul, you kind of have an in. A lot of the Korean is slang, or casual, but hopefully inserted in a way that's natural.

I wanted to be comfortable with the idea of providing enough context for some things, but also allow for the experience of "hmm, I don't know what that means, but I'll live with that," which is an experience that someone like Ocean might have. I think too, in the SFF context more than another genre, it makes sense that you may encounter words or terms you're not familiar with, and you can pick it up as you go along.

One word I couldn't find in the glossary is "jake," for fine/okay.

Yes, jake means "fine/okay" and is pronounced like the name "Jake," rhymes with ache. It's actually a call-back to slang from the roaring '20s. I first heard of it through a ska punk band called "Less Than Jake." You'll find it in a lot of movies for gangster-speak like "that dame was real jake." A lot of slang tends to cycle back around.

Your characters are so appreciative of food--are they mirroring some of our own appetites? What's your favorite Korean snack, drink, meal?

The first thing that comes to mind is banana milk, but only the kind you get from Korea (not to be a snob) because it comes in this specific packaging. For some reason, the drink packaging here gives it a different taste.

For food--seolleongtang, which is an ox-bone soup. I made it once and when I told my aunt, she laughed and said, "not even Koreans make that for themselves at home!" I find it very soothing. There's a great seolleongtang shop in LA's Koreatown, and once you step in, it's just bustling with ajummas who yell their orders and plop down kimchi. It's the homiest thing.

It's so hard to say what's my favorite, though. A lot of it is wrapped up in people or feelings or a moment, which I think is why a lot of children of the diaspora talk about and appreciate food. It's a tangible connection to their parents, their past, a country they might not be as familiar with. And a lot of the making of it, eating of it, sharing of it, is interconnected with their family.

As for what's next... is a sequel in the works?

It is definitely in the works, although I can't talk about my next project just yet. I have had a lot of fun writing in this world. I have other ideas and other books (and other genres!) I want to write, but I wouldn't mind writing more here, even after I finish this arc! --Terry Hong