[A] slim but exquisite collection ... each narrative is a piece of a larger puzzle that together form a portrait of Korean history and its diaspora that is breathtaking in scope, detailing the persistence of imperialism, war, poverty and dislocation across generations. Throughout Yoon limns the tiny choices that ripple across his characters’ lives—a prison-yard fight, a refusal to help a mysterious runaway—before turning his lens on history ... Crisscrossing the globe and the centuries, Yoon expertly telescopes between the long view and the close-up.
The superficial complexities in The Hive and the Honey belie the simplicity of Yoon’s language and his skill at his craft. The seven stories in this (all too) brief collection provide ample justification for Yoon’s reputation as a stylist ... As one story rises and falls, Yoon builds a new one to take its place.
