“Shelter” author discusses acclaimed debut novel April 18 in Kittredge Community Arts Center
Novelist Jung Yun is the featured speaker at Warren Wilson College’s Harwood-Cole Memorial Lecture April 18. Photo by Stephanie Craig.
When a first-time novelist writes a really good book, it does not stay a secret for long. That’s what happened to Jung Yun. The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Los Angeles Times were among the first to praise her debut novel – “Shelter.” It’s the work she plans to discuss at Warren Wilson College April 18.
A home invasion and unimaginable violence against a professor’s family launches the reader into “Shelter.” The attack brings a mother, father and son back together under one roof. Despite the brutal reality of recent events, family dynamics quickly take over. “What the parents and children in this novel discover is that they can neither take shelter in their houses nor their families,” said Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer.”
Book reviewers across the country praised Yun’s work.
The New Yorker called “Shelter” an “absorbing, suspenseful debut.” The Chicago Tribune’s Kevin Nance said the book is “beautifully crafted.” Sam Sacks of The Wall Street Journal writes, “The combination of grisly James Patterson thriller and melancholic suburban drama shouldn’t work at all. Yet Ms. Yun pulls it off.”
Warren Wilson College creative writing professor Gary Hawkins said, “We chose Jung Yun for her ability to speak to the struggles and joys of stepping through family and identity, honor and individuality–the kinds of experiences our students have at this time of their lives, and the constant work of all of us.”
“Shelter” is the first novel from Jung Yun.
Yun, an assistant professor at George Washington University, is the featured speaker at Warren Wilson College’s Harwood-Cole Memorial Lecture.
“Jung’s work is a startling, engrossing look into a culture about which I know very little,” said Paula Garrett, dean of the College and vice president for academic affairs. “My impulse to choose Jung was actually focused on difference, but, in the end, her work brings me to the realization that, though cultures differ, the human condition is often the same.”
“Shelter” is Jung Yun’s debut novel.
“Shelter” ranks No. 1 in BuzzFeed’s list of the “Most Buzzed-About Books of 2016.” It was longlisted for the Center for Fiction “First Novel Prize” and named among “The best books of the 2016” by Minnesota Public Radio. The novel was also a finalist for the 2016 Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers Award.”
The Harwood-Cole Memorial Lecture is free and open to the public. Yun’s talk begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in Kittredge Community Arts Center. For more information about Jung Yun and “Shelter,” visit https://jungyun.info.
Questions? Contact Candace Reilly at creilly@warren-wilson.edu.
Directions to Kittredge Community Arts Center:
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701 Warren Wilson Rd
Swannanoa, NC
From I-40 west of Asheville:
If you are arriving by car via I-40 from areas west of Asheville, do not take the Asheville exits (I-240), but rather stay on I-40 going East until you get to Exit 55. Take Exit 55 (East Asheville), turn left and go under the interstate. Go to the first traffic light (at the intersection with US-70/Tunnel Road), and turn right onto US-70.
On US-70, go 1.5 miles until you reach the next traffic light and turn left onto Warren Wilson Road. Travel about 1.5 miles until you reach the campus. Turn right at the North entrance and bear left to pull to the Kittredge entrance. Stay on this road to access parking.
From I-40 east of Asheville:
If you are traveling on I-40 east of Asheville take Exit 59 (Swannanoa) which has a “Warren Wilson College” sign. Bear right at the exit and go to the traffic light at the intersection with US-70. Turn left and go about 2 miles until you reach the third traffic light. Turn right on Warren Wilson Road. Go about 1.5 miles until you reach the campus. Turn right at the North entrance and bear left to pull to the Kittredge entrance. Stay on this road to access parking.
From the airport:
If you are traveling from the airport, take Interstate 26 West to I-40 East, then follow the instructions from I-40 West of Asheville.