Flashlight is a 2025 Susan Choi novel that was originally published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the United States and Jonathan Cape in Great Britain. The circumstance of a Korean father in 1978, presumably washed out to sea while walking near the breakwater on the beach, and the family's grief, opens the novel to a story that "spans decades, and four generations"[1][2][3][4][5]Flashlight has been longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.[6]
The story begins with a father and his young daughter, Louisa, taking a walk at dusk. The father, named Serk, has a flashlight. When they don't come back, people start looking for them. Louisa, who is 10 years old, is later discovered near the water's edge. She is very cold and barely alive, with almost no memory of what happened. Her father, who couldn't swim, is missing and presumed to have drowned and pulled out to sea.[1]
The novel follows Serk's family through four generations and many decades. Serk, had been born Seok in Korea and later known as Hiroshi in Japan during World War II. He changed his name to Serk when he came to America. His different identities represent his having to deal with tumultuous changes in his environments. Serk's struggles with his identity also represent the political conflicts of the time, as major world powers fought for influence over Korea.[1]
Critique
According to The New York Times, Choi seems to use the book to bring attention to historical injustices, particularly those caused by North Korea. By the end of the novel, the extensive details about these historical events and their consequences, such as re-education camps, start to take over the story. The book begins to feel less like a narrative and more like a historical report or a lesson.[1]
Writing for The Guardian, Beejay Silcox stated that the plot twist mid-novel was a jolt that added suspense and intrigue to the work. Regarding the characters' development in the work, Silcox stated: "Choi gives her cast the room they need to live; to be more than vessels for political wrangling."[7]
Flashlight prologue
According to Ron Charles, writing for The Washington Post, on August 31, 2020, The New Yorker magazine published a short story written by the author of this novel. It is now the prologue for this novel. The story is about a young girl's volatile and grief-stricken interactions with a psychologist in the aftermath of her father's drowning in Japan.[5]
Award
Flashlight has been longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.[6]
"Flashlight" (short story): "Flashlight by Susan Choi". The New Yorker. August 31, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
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