???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

Nuclear Family is an original, funny, and magical literary debut: Set in the months before the false missile alert in Hawaii in 2018, Joseph Han's hilarious and beautiful first book is a family comedy that combines magical realism and political satire. The plot revolves around a college student, her brother teaching English in Seoul, grouchy deli-owner parents, and the ghost of their deceased Korean grandfather, who is on a cultural healing mission in the afterlife. Mr. and Mrs. Cho's dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across the state is finally coming true when their reputation is suddenly hit by a viral video of their son Jacob attempting — and failing — to cross the demilitarized zone into North Korea. Nobody knows that Jacob is being controlled by the ghost of his long-dead grandfather, who wants to cross the border and get back to the family he left in the north. What follows is a beautiful story about a family that must confront their differences in order to learn more about themselves and each other.