Petty Lies by Sulmi Bak

For readers who revelled in the toxic obsession of Butter and the addictive horror of Bat Eater

Dear Jiwon,
I’m writing to you regarding the murder of your son…

Revenge is perhaps best served by letter. But letters get answered. And when a young tutor takes up the pen to write to her former employer revealing the true motive behind tutoring her son, she will trigger a chain of events that will leave you questioning everything – and everyone.

Dear Jiwon,
What’s the first thing we learn as babies? Don’t trust another person for no good reason. Even your own flesh and blood to whom you gave birth is no exception. After all, one’s offspring are other people too.
But how many times can I tell you to trust no one? Not even me.

—-
Content warning: this book contains instances of animal abuse and death

The Eyes Are The Best Part meets the obsession of Butter and Bat Eater in this Korean epistolary revenge thriller. A young woman is convinced that a local teenage boy is responsible for the murder of her family; as she seeks revenge, she finds the truth thornier and more shocking than she ever realized

About the Author: Born in 1984, Sulmi Bak, who also goes by the name Park Seol-mi, majored in journalism and has worked as a writer for Korea’s top gaming company. Petty Lies is her debut novel and was published first as an ebook and reissued by popular demand in paper in 2021, going on to sell 20,000 copies and winning several prestigious awards.

30 Oct 2025
 

Petty Lies: A twist-packed Korean revenge thriller that will keep you guessing til the very end by Sulmi Bak ISBN 9781526694591