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Flashlight (novel)

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Flashlight
AuthorSusan Choi
Audio read byEunice Wong
SubjectKorean and Asian American fiction
GenreLiterary realism, Historical fiction
Set in1978 to the 2000s in Japan, Korea, United States
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux, Jonathan Cape
Publication dateJune 3, 2025
Publication placeUnited States, United Kingdom
Media typePrint, eBook, Audio
Pages464
AwardsShortlisted for Booker Prize
ISBN9780374616373
OCLC1458442226
Dewey Decimal813.54
LC ClassPS3553.H584 F54 2025
LCCN 2024-53346

Flashlight is a 2025 novel by American writer Susan Choi. It was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the United States and Jonathan Cape in Great Britain. The circumstance of a Korean father in 1978, presumably washed out to sea while walking near the breakwater on the beach, and the family's grief, opens the novel to a story that "spans decades, and four generations"[1][2][3][4][5] Flashlight was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.[6]

Plot summary

The story begins with a father and his young daughter, Louisa, taking a walk at dusk. The father, named Serk, has a flashlight. When they don't come back, people start looking for them. Louisa, who is 10 years old, is later discovered near the water's edge. She is very cold and barely alive, with almost no memory of what happened. Her father, who couldn't swim, is missing and presumed to have drowned and pulled out to sea.[1]

The novel follows Serk's family through four generations and many decades. Serk had been born as Seok in Korea and later known as Hiroshi in Japan during World War II. He changed his name to Serk when he came to the US. His different identities represent his having to deal with tumultuous changes in his environments. Serk's struggles with his identity also represent the political conflicts of the time, as major world powers fought for influence over Korea.[1]

Prologue

Ron Charles, writing for The Washington Post, noted that The New Yorker published a short story written by Choi on August 31, 2020, which is the prologue for the novel. The story is about a young girl's volatile and grief-stricken interactions with a psychologist in the aftermath of her father's drowning in Japan.[5]

Reception

According to The New York Times, Choi seems to use the book to bring attention to historical injustices, particularly those caused by North Korea. By the end of the novel, the extensive details about these historical events and their consequences, such as re-education camps, start to take over the story. The book begins to feel less like a narrative and more like a historical report or a lesson.[1]

Writing for The Guardian, Beejay Silcox stated that "the plot twist mid-novel was a jolt that added suspense and intrigue to the work." Regarding the characters' development in the work, Silcox stated: "Choi gives her cast the room they need to live; to be more than vessels for political wrangling."[7]

Awards

Awards for Flashlight
Year Award Result Ref.
2025 National Book Award for Fiction Longlist [8][9]
2026 Booker Prize Finalist [10][11]
Orwell Prize for Political Writing Finalist [10][12]
Women's Prize for Fiction Finalist [10][13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Garner, Dwight (June 2, 2025). "A Novel Highlights a Dark Korean History and a Shattered Family's". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  2. ↑ Tong, Anson (June 4, 2025). "Susan Choi's "Flashlight" Explores All You Can Never Know". Chicago Review of Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Sacks, Sam (June 5, 2025). "Fiction: Susan Choi's 'Flashlight'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 25, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  4. ↑ Worley, Sam (June 2, 2025). "Susan Choi Is Still Outlandishly Talented". Vulture (magazine). Archived from the original on November 23, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Charles, Ron (May 22, 2025). "With 'Flashlight,' Susan Choi gets even more ambitious". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Booker Prize 2025 The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. The Booker Prizes. Archived from the original on August 31, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ Silcox, Beejay (June 30, 2025). "Flashlight by Susan Choi review – big, bold and surprising". Theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "National Book Award Longlists: Fiction". Shelf Awareness . September 15, 2025. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ Stewart, Sophia (September 10, 2025). "2025 National Book Award Longlists Announced". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Schaub, Michael (May 15, 2026). "Finalists for the 2026 Orwell Prizes Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Awards: Booker, Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Shortlists". Shelf Awareness. September 24, 2025. Archived from the original on December 20, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Awards: Orwell Finalists". Shelf Awareness. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Awards: Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist; Hugo Finalists". Shelf Awareness . April 23, 2026. Archived from the original on April 27, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
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