Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

What would you sacrifice for a different life?

When you emigrate, you leave a version of yourself behind. Literally. One instance crosses the border; the other instance stays trapped behind it.

Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, synchronize their lives and minds in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Other instances, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at age ten and never speak to their other selves again.

With a life of her own in New York, Rose never imagined she’d return to Korea. Then her grandfather dies and Soyoung, her Korean instance, summons her home for the funeral. But Soyoung’s motives aren’t as innocent as Rose imagined, and the consequences of Rose’s return to Seoul will change her forever.

Sublimation is a story of doppelgangers and corporate intrigue, heartbreak and betrayal. Nebula Award-winning author Isabel J. Kim has written an immigrant tale like no other, capturing the longing for another life and twisting it into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse.

‘One of the best debuts of the year. Sublimation speaks to our moment in ways we could not have expected’ – John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain

‘A dazzling parable of connection and isolation’ – Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies

From a stunning new voice in speculative fiction, Sublimation is a dazzlingly original debut from Isabel J. Kim.

About the Author: Isabel J. Kim is a Korean-American speculative fiction writer based in New York City. She is a Shirley Jackson Award winner, a Hugo, Nebula, and Astounding Award finalist, and her short fiction has been published in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, and Strange Horizons, among other venues. Her work has been reprinted in the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 and 2024 and translated into Chinese and Japanese. Sublimation is her debut novel.

04 Jun 2026
 

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim ISBN 9781035065530