Omg, I adored this book! It is a very short novel with a lot of stories that connect themselves in the end. The best thing a reader can do is to dive into this book without knowing too much about it. These stories weren't just scary but also full of heart. This book is a shining proof of why Asian horror rocks.

I liked but didn't love this latest book by Bora Chung. This is a collection of interconnected stories that I think maybe loses something in the linking. I enjoy short fiction for it's ability to be a bit shocking and off the wall (and this author has delivered that in other work), but it's a bit lacking in that quality here.

A fun, quick read with several connected short ghost stories. Leaves you wanting more of the same. Only downside was odd character usage that occasionally was confusing.

I enjoy the idea of this book so I was excited to give Bora Chung another try. My qualms are more with the translation by Anton Hur which I also had with his translation of Cursed Bunny.

Bora Chung is an author I will always read. She always has stories that entertain and mesmerize. Highly recommend to people who love strange reads of the surreal.

Another fantastic work by Bora Chung. I've enjoyed all of her previous works as well and this one did not disappoint. All of the stories revolve around a haunted institute and the unusual goings on throughout the building and its employees. I think Bora Chung did a great job of creating atmosphere and intrigue throughout the whole book. I always recommend Bora Chung for horror and thriller readers!

I absolutely loved CURSED BUNNY so had very, very high expectations for this. I don't think it met the levels of BUNNY but as a short story collection I think it was very strong.

Interlocked ghost stories centering a research institute of haunted objects - there are elements that carry through from story to story. The vibes are creepy and one of them in particular gave me goosebumps.

You have to be okay with not fully understanding, and not getting resolution at the end of each story but the endings are creepy AF.


And "don't look back" is possibly one of the creepiest pieces of advice someone can say because of course you just immediately want to look back.

I'd thoroughly enjoyed "Cursed Bunny" and "Your Utopia", so was eager to get my hands on the latest work by Bora Chung. Similar to her earlier collections, "Midnight Timetable" is a series of short stories that are all loosely interconnected by the unnamed narrator who works at an Institute that houses items with paranormal qualities. As each of the stories unfolds, we're introduced to the narrator's colleagues and their own stories and experiences; some are retellings of earlier events and others being firsthand accounts.

As a whole, I didn't find these stories quite as hard-hitting as some of Chung's earlier works, but they did touch on themes such as greed and desire and topics like domestic abuse and animal cruelty and, as noted in the Afterword, several are takes on Korean folktales and ghost stories. My favorites were "The Handkerchief", where a spoiled youngest son is determined to claim for himself the last item from his deceased mother and "Blue Bird", a story set centuries earlier where an orphaned daughter enacts revenge for the killing of her mother decades earlier. Each story has an item or object of focus - a handkerchief, a cat, a sheep - which are housed in their own rooms at the Institute.

Overall a quick and enjoyable read, but not one of my personal favorites by this author.

Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung is a masterful collection of interconnected ghost stories set within a mysterious research center housing cursed objects. Each tale delves into the eerie and unsettling, exploring themes such as animal testing, conversion therapy, domestic abuse, and late-stage capitalism . Chung's haunting prose, translated by Anton Hur, weaves a tapestry of dark allegories that resonate deeply, offering both bone-chilling horror and poignant social commentary. This novel is a must-read for fans of literary horror that challenges and captivates in equal measure.

First, I have #netgalley and #algonquinbooks to thank for helping me discover the writing of Bora Chung (as well as the writing and translation of Anton Hur). What a gift its been to discover these talents. I found Bora Chung's last collection - Your Utopia - as an ARC in 2024 (also discovering her translator Mr. Hur at that time) and have been hooked ever since. I went back and read Cursed Bunny (her most acclaimed and "Booker Prize shortlisted" collection) which was worthy of every accolade.

When I saw MIDNIGHT TIMETABLE - "a novel in ghost stories" listed among current options in Net Galley I jumped on it. This book is set for publication on 9/30/2025.

One of the greatest aspects of this collection (which arrives at the. end) in the author's note `which provides really poignant and personal background into the creation of the stories in the collection along with author's advice on how to get unstuck when you have writer's block "write a ghost story!" and her personal love for the genre.

These interconnected and interwoven stories.do stand alone in their own creepy, crafty, and unique ways but when taken together they encompass and demonstrate much greater moral, ethical, and tragic truths about humankind -- we are covetous, greedy, duplicitous, and sometimes downright evil but we are also loving, nurturing, and compassionate (especially women and those who are preyed upon and discarded). And KARMA is real!! In this novel, objects are much more than meets the eye and everything has a story to tell (and sometimes justice comes home to roost). Yay! We need it!

Also great wisdom on two universal underlying themes -- "don't look back" and "let it go!!" Whether the latter is an object, a resentment, or an obsession (or sometimes all three at once).

The final story - SUNNING DAY - was a favorite and the collection, overall, left me feeling lifted and VERY connected to the author. As mentioned, her note at the conclusion of the book provided a warm and welcoming invitation (for her fans especially!!) to discover the derivations of these stories and the collection as a whole and gave a sneak peak into Bora Chung, the writer and the woman. I just loved this book (and her)! Thank you again and I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

Midnight Timetable is a fun collection of connected short stories, all stories revolving around an institution where they research haunted things. Some of the stories really engaged me and made me want to continue reading, others were a bit of a chore. I really liked the handkerchief story and the long tunnel.

I wanted to read this because I really loved Cursed Bunny, but Midnight Timetable didn't work in the same way for me. I do think these stories were fun and I liked the author's notes at the end.

Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung is a haunting, inventive novel told through interconnected ghost stories set in a surreal research institute. Blending dark humor, social critique, and eerie atmosphere, Chung crafts a chilling meditation on memory, suffering, and power. Strange, smart, and deeply unsettling in the best way.

In *Midnight Timetable*, a night shift employee at a mysterious research center uncovers the dark secrets behind cursed objects, each tied to eerie and tragic histories. From a handkerchief steeped in sibling rivalry to a live-streamer’s doomed sneaker, these spine-tingling ghost stories offer a chilling look at societal horrors, blending horror with biting social commentary on issues like abuse and capitalism.

If you were a fan of Cursed Bunny, then you’ll absolutely love Midnight Timetable. Bora Chung delivers again with a haunting, atmospheric collection that somehow feels even more cohesive than her previous work. Set entirely within a mysterious research center for cursed objects, each chilling tale revolves around one of the artifacts housed there—creating a shared universe of creeping dread and psychological unease.

What I appreciated most was how the interconnected setting gave the stories a unifying thread, making the entire collection feel like a single, evolving narrative rather than a set of disjointed pieces. As a fan of Asian horror—particularly Korean horror—I found Midnight Timetable encapsulates that trademark eeriness so well. Rather than leaning into excessive gore, it masterfully cultivates an unsettling mood that lingers long after you’ve turned the final page.

Though just over 200 pages, this book packs a serious punch. Chung blends the supernatural with deeply political themes—touching on animal testing, domestic abuse, and more—without ever feeling heavy-handed. This is literary horror at its finest: bone-chilling, darkly funny, and thought-provoking.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the early e-copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

thank you netgalley for the ARC! i pre-ordered a copy.

midnight timetable is a book of ghost stories, which are all interconnected.

a new employee at mysterious institute is curious about past employees and the institute itself and ask their sunbae about them.

we learn about the fate of past employees, and we learn about specific rooms and objects found at the institute.

i especially loved how it all tied up at the end with the sunning story which was a delight.

i went to a book event where bora chung talked a bit about ghost stories from their childhood and it was fun to see a couple elements mentionned at the event in midnight timetable.

the stories are all a spin on traditional korean ghost stories / customs. the last few pages do a good job of explaining bora chung's thought process.

my favorite aspect about the book was the symbolism in each story, the birds, the shoe, the handkerchief, day and night, and of course the sheep.

3 stars

Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur.

The narrator is a night watchman (watch person?) at a mysterious institute that houses cursed objects….an employees often don’t last long there. Through various short tales you’ll visit rooms with a haunted handkerchief, a cursed sneaker and a very interesting cat.

Each haunting is an allegory for something bigger in the real world which is very clear within the tale. I found these to be typical Korean ghost stories, at least from what I have seen; objects seem to play a big role. The book itself is very short, but there are some nice stories here; I particularly enjoyed “Tunnel” and the hopeful end of the entire book. In the Afterword the author explains some of the motivation behind the tales and notes that ghost stories are a great cure for writers’ block.

I’ve read both of Bora Chung’s short story collections, Cursed Bunny & Your Utopia, so I was very much looking forward to this. I think this is my favorite of her works so far, as I enjoyed most of the stories that were included (and the overall concept is so unique!). My biggest struggle with Chung’s works (that also extend to Midnight Timetable) is that Korean horror doesn’t translate well into written English, so it can make the stories feel less intense or creepy. This is not an issue of the translator, who I think does an excellent job, but the fact that certain words/phrases have no direct translation into English that would evoke the same emotional response. That being said, I feel like this is her strongest work yet and I am looking forward to adding it to my physical library upon publication. Thank you for providing the eARC via NetGalley!

I really enjoyed the stories in this book and look forward to recommending it to people who love horror/spooky themes as well as ghost stories. The range of the stories was good and I will definitely be remembering these characters for a long time after finishing the book. Yet another great read from Bora Chung!

The Midnight Timetable is a book of short stories that all tie together to form a bigger story; a concept that isn't new but can surely be amazing if done right.
When I first read the synopsis I was really intrigued and I also loved the first story in the book, which introduces the setting and the overall theme: A institute that houses haunted objects! That sounds like an awesome idea, right? Well, it surely is and I'm not denying that, but the problem is the actual stories about the haunted objects fell flat for me. They felt overly long at times and not in the least like a ghost story I would expect from haunted objects. The story I disliked the most was the one about the jealous brothers and the handkerchief. The biggest problem was that it was more told than shown and we all know that can be an issue with writing.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book.

Midnight Timetable is a cabinet of cursed curiosities, and Bora Chung once again proves she is one of the most inventive voices in contemporary fiction.

Set in a unnamed institute that catalogues haunted and dangerous objects, the book is structured as a series of interconnected stories that include a ghost story, speculative fiction, and fable. The brilliance lies in how seamlessly each tale reflects some deeper social problem—grief, cruelty, exploitation, and loss—without ever becoming overwrought.

Through a cast of interchangeable staff, researchers, and lingering spirits, Chung offers glimpses into the lives marked by these haunted artifacts: a handkerchief that carries resentment like a scent, a sneaker that refuses to let go, a cat that remembers too much. Each narrative peels back a new layer of the Institute’s unnatural quiet, forcing readers to question what’s truly being studied.

What makes Midnight Timetable so unnerving isn’t the presence of ghosts, but how natural the story feels. Fans of Cursed Bunny will find familiar parts here, but this collection builds something new: a ghost story that feels like a slow burn creeping up your legs.

Midnight Timetable invites readers to sit with discomfort, to notice what’s lurking at the edge of our everyday lives—and to consider what it means when we catalog horror instead of healing it.

#midnighttimetable #borachung #ghoststories #algonquinbooks