Excavations is a beautiful, sprawling novel set in South Korea.

It begins with a tragic building collapse, a husband lost, a grieving wife, and her desire to make sense of the life-changing event.

As a mother to two young sons, Sae must balance her desire for answers with the needs of her children. Sae’s investigation begins to pull at the strings of the mystery and eventually connects her to Myonghee, the owner of the club that could hold the answers.

It is a story told from many angles. Moving further away from the event and through the years. Not every mystery is solved quickly and Sae carries her need for truth through all of them.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is unlike my customary reads and stretched me as a reader. It gives a stunning portrait of Korea. Its conclusion is beautiful. I am so glad I read it. The untethered nature of Sae’s existence was so well written.

Thank you one world publishing and netgalley for the advanced Copy. Excavations is out now in audio and hardcover.

P.S. I love the cover so much. It’s striking and enigmatic, much like the story.

Disclosure: To write this review, I reread this book because I couldn't remember it well enough to give an accurate one. The ending left a bitter taste in my mouth during my first read. I was expecting Sae, our plucky reporter lady, to break the story and get justice. I don't want to completely ruin the ending by saying what happens instead. However, the ending is very appropriate after learning about recent South Korean events such as the Sampoon Mall and Sewol Ferry tragedies. I still want to punch someone for those kids dying in Sewol Ferry. So many needless deaths because people wanted to save face.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for my honest thoughts.

Excavations was probably more of a 3.5 star read for me.

When Sae's husband fails to return home, where she and her two young sons are waiting, she learns of the catastrophic collapse of a skyscraper where he has been working on an engineering project. Unable to believe her husband has been killed Sae is dogged first in her quest to find him and then in her quest to uncover what was really behind the tower's collapse. The deeper Sae delves into solving the mystery the more she disconnects from her children in what may be the most heartbreaking aspect of the novel.

The scope of this story is ambitious, involving several points of view and a non-linear timeline. It took a while for me to grasp the thread of the story, my own paltry knowledge of South Korean history being part of the issue. I wouldn't categorize this novel as a thriller, but there is certainly an element of mystery. Michell seems to reflect on the nature of love, family, how well we truly know the people close to use, the way power corrupts, social class, and economic inequalities. Yes, it is a lot for one book. Upon reaching the conclusion, I understood how the many layers of the story worked together and must have felt necessary as Michell was writing; however, the complexity of the plot made it difficult to connect emotionally with any of the characters.

This was a great book! It was a slow thriller that had me dying to find out how it would end. The ending was maybe a little too neat and tidy for me, but that's just a personal preference.

I loved that Sae gave Jae a copy of E.H. Carr’s seminal book “What is History?” as part of her effort to convert him to her cause, and she had received it from someone else for the same reason.

The fictional story takes inspiration from the division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea, the dictatorship that ruled South Korea and the popular protests and acts of rebellion that helped topple the dictatorship, and powerful family corporations (chaebols) that often have connections with the government. The author also references the Sewol ferry tragedy and the ouster of President Park Guen-hye, both of which demonstrate how social media has changed South Korean society, as the ability of governments and companies to control the narrative and restrict access to information is greatly diminished in a world where information can be shared in real time by almost anyone. This contrasts with the central event of the book, which is the collapse of the fictional Aspiration Tower in 1992. Jae was working in the tower when it collapsed. As his wife, Sae, tries to find out if Jae is alive, she discovers that she did not know her husband as well as she thought she did, and that the Taehan Group, the company who constructed the tower and authorized the retrofitting that was taking place when the tower collapsed, is working hard to cover up what actually happened.

The story also features Myong-hee, who runs a social club, Myongwolgwan, where men can relax and enjoy female companionship; Song-mi, one of the "girls" who works at the club; Mr. Li, an employee of Taehan Group and regular visitor to the social club; and the chairman of Taehan Group and his sons, Kim Yung and Kim Geun-ye. Sae's search for Jae and the truth about Jae will lead her to Myong-hee and will lead to the revelation of surprising connections between some of the characters and the secrets they have been hiding.

Sae is waiting for her husband to come home. The husband who is the love of her life. THey met in college and were together from that day on. This day he went to work as usually and did not come home. She goes back to her past as a journalist to find her husband. She may or may not want to know the answers she seeks.


This book had a lot of twists and turns, it was a good read, but it was also hard to read in some spots. I would read another book by this author

I thought this one would be up my alley but I don't think I was correct. I could not get into the story or the characters and was unable to finish. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because the description of it sounded so engaging. However, I just felt to so disconnected from it and every time I tried to get back into my reading of it, I couldn’t get very far. Was not able to finish this one.

Set in Korea, we get flashbacks and closer to present day peeks into the life of Sae.

Sae was a revolutionary during college, but the collapse of a building during which her husband went missing and her children were threatened when she came too close to the truth dampened her energies for such activities.

Slow-burn with a surprise twist near the end. I really wanted to love this book - the plot was great and the bones of the story are there. However, I had a hard time getting through this. The characters seemed flat to me and I just couldn't connect with any of them. I think I didn't feel like there was any real emotion put into the telling of an obviously extremely stressful and overwhelming situation - I didn't feel much emotion of any kind from the characters. It just didn't work well for me.

I liked where this story was going and what the author attempts to do, however I feel like this story falls a bit short due to the fact that there is too much going on and too many storylines. I get what the author is doing and I commend her because it's ambitious, but it does make the story a bit jumbled and confusing at times. I would definitely be interested in checking out her next publication though.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This was a fascinating mystery--a story of multiple deceptions that occurred in Korea. The main protagonist, Sae, is a young mother, a former journalist and her husband goes missing after the collapse of a large building. As she searches for him, a complex history slowly reveals itself. The extent of the mystery and the connections finally become clear in the final chapters. The characters are well drawn, but at times a bit hollow. The madame who is connected to Sae was one of the most compelling characters. Overall, a well written mystery, a history of Korea and political upheaval.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this book i did not finish, as i found myself disengaging from the book each time i tried to pick it back up. the premise was interesting, and Michell is a great and talented writer. however, i couldn't stay engaged with it, which is unfortunate.

EXCAVATIONS
Hannah Mitchell

In EXCAVATIONS we are following Sae. She is at home with her children when one evening her husband Jae does not come home for dinner. As significant time passes she begins to worry more and more. After some time, Sae sees on the news that a building that Jae was working on has collapsed. She eventually ventures out to try and find him.

We follow as Sae searches for Jae, solves the mystery of his disappearance, and uncovers a story of corruption and good people doing bad things.

I really struggled with the material and felt removed from the story. It felt like the cloud of dust from the building collapse had permeated the pages, shifting dimensions. Causing a separation between the reader and the characters.

Sae is a very frustrating character to follow. Her lack of emotion felt vacuous. She’s not paying attention to what’s happening right in front of her. She takes time itself and the permanence of loved ones for granted. Forsaking truly knowing the people she loves in the name of chores to do, meals to make, and bills to pay. Sae made the mistake of not asking more questions. Not for lack of care, but because she didn’t know she needed to and because the days felt endless, and to her, promised.

Although nothing ever is.

This is the first book by Hannah Mitchell that I’ve read. I’m curious if the distance from characters is a trait of the writing of simply of the character in this book. If you’ve read Hannah Mitchell before please share your experience with me in the comments.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Audio, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, One World for the advanced copies!

EXCAVATIONS…⭐️⭐️⭐️

"She picked at the edge of the flaking paint on the wall, wondering what else would come away if she kept chipping away at it." This is an absolute stunner debut novel. It is a historical murder mystery that leaves you heartbroken and more knowledgeable about our world. The characters link together, and their stories unravel with Sae's investigation skills. She is looking for her husband, who worked in a collapsed building. Secrets upon secrets let loose as she tries to understand how she got to this point in life.

DNF @ 40% - I simply could not find myself invested at all in this one. I think if the story was written more from a wider angle, such as multiple POVs or dual timeline, it would have held my interest more. however, the plot seemed recycled and I just found myself unable to connect to the characters.

Set in Seoul, this family drama, loosely based on a real event, is an intriguing slow-burn.
Sae, currently a stay-at-home mother, was a protestor in her student days and a former reporter. Her husband is working for an architecture firm in a new skyscraper. When he goes missing after the building collapses, Sae digs for the truth finding out how Jae's past is truly part of this present situation.
Hand to readers who enjoy family intrigue, political drama, and a touch of historical fiction. This was definitely a window into a different world for me.

Excavations is an ambitious novel that follows Sae, a stay at home mom to two sons, trying to find her husband who has disappeared in the wake of a devastating tragedy that she fears he might be involved in. In the wake of the collapse of Aspiration Tower, a huge achievement of the Taehan Group, Sae searches for her husband, Jae, but also for the truth behind the accident that has killed hundreds of people. Using her journalistic skills from her past, Sae finds herself wrapped up in a much darker story of corruption, greed, and deceit that hits closer to home than she expects. This novel surprised me in its breadth and depth, taking on Korean history and national identity in the 80s and 90s, from the political dissent and radicalization of workers that bring our characters Sae and Jae together, to the painful separation of what is now North and South Korea. The story Michell is telling requires the reader to put in some work at at the beginning, but the pay off when all the interconnected lives come together is very much worth it. Michell’s writing and character work is strong in this, and I felt a lot for Sae and Myonghee, who were trying their best amongst unending challenges. I look forward to reading Michell’s previous work, and whatever she writes next!

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley, thank you!

In this unique novel by Hannah Mitchell, to set the scene, a large skyscraper called Aspiration Tower, collapses. Sae, a former journalist turned stay-at-home mom, cannot find her husband, Jae, who was supposedly working in that building on the day of its collapse.

Mitchell takes us through this incident and the aftermath via multiple characters whose lives are all interwoven. There's Sae (accompanied by her two young children and mother) and a former coworker she reaches out to to help with her investigation into the business that owns Aspiration Tower. That business is called Taehan Group, and we also hear from the owner/"Chairman" and one of his sons. Sae also gets help from a childhood love interest and fellow activist, as well as Myonghee, the owner of an upscale club for powerful businessmen.

Through every twist and turn, the plot truly thickens. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get invested in the book, but I was quickly proven wrong. There are big reveals, dark family secrets, complicated relationships, and so much more in "Excavations."

Sae is waiting for her husband Jae to return home when she finds out the skyscraper he was working at has collapsed. Unsure if he was in the building at the time, she tries to locate him. However, as she starts asking questions, she begins to wonder what Jae was really doing there and whether their company was responsible for the collapse. Sae's investigation leads her to the Taehan group, the group responsible for the original building's plans. She uncovers a plot from within Taehan to coverup their shoddy construction and building shortcuts and instead they try to lay the blame elsewhere. Meanwhile she also learns more about her husband's family. Overall, a look at the lengths people and corporations will go to maintain their power and reputation, at the expense of anyone who stands in their path.