Kim E-ran’s new novel follows three high school students whose lies, secrets, and family tragedies slowly connect them.

In recent years, most bookstores in Japan have had corners dedicated to Korean literature, and demand for Korean literature is increasing more and more to the point that shelves can be divided by author name. It is often introduced on book bands with phrases such as, “RM of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) also read it!” and “BLACKPINK Jisoo’s favorite book,” and the phenomenon in which books they read become talked about and hit in Japan has also become established. Among them, the representative work of Korean feminist fiction, “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” (Cho Nam-joo), recorded an extraordinary hit, with circulation exceeding 230,000 copies since its release in Japan in December 2018. In October 2024, Han Kang, known for representative works such as “The Vegetarian” and “Human Acts,” achieved the feat of becoming the first Asian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Won many literary awards! The path of Kim E-ran, author of “One of Them Is a Lie” As interest in Korean literature rises around the world, the book the editorial department introduces this time is “One of Them Is a Lie.” This work is Kim E-ran’s first full-length novel in 13 years and became a bestseller in Korea, exceeding 120,000 copies. In the 2024 “Novelists 50 choose the ‘Novel of the Year’,” it won first place (a special project by Korea’s largest bookstore, Kyobo Book Centre). In Japan, it was just released on June 26, 2026. Kim E-ran graduated from the Playwriting Department of the School of Drama at the Korea National University of Arts. In 2002, she made her debut as a writer by winning the 1st Daesan University Literary Award for the short story “The House That Does Not Knock.” In 2013, “The Future of Silence” won the Yi Sang Literary Award. Her translated works in Japanese include “My Heart Beats for My Life” (Quon), “Run, Father” (Shobunsha), and “Outside Is Summer,” “Airplane Cloud,” and “Saliva Accumulates” (Aki Shobo). Through works such as “Run, Father,” “Saliva Accumulates,” “My Heart Beats for My Life,” and this latest “One of Them Is a Lie,” she focuses on the lives and daily realities of contemporary Korean youth. With a fresh sensibility and solid writing ability, she is known as a writer who vividly depicts the lives of a specific generation. By the way, in Japan, a book festival called the “K-BOOK Festival” is held every year to respond to the voices of people who love “Korean books” dearly and say, “I want to read more, I want to know more,” and Kim E-ran appeared there as a guest in 2022. Is the word you believed true or false... an ordinary high school life begins to move The title “One of Them Is a Lie” comes from the “self-introduction game” devised by the homeroom teacher of the high school students Ji-u, Sori, and Che-un in the work. In this game, students introduce themselves with five sentences, but one of them must contain a lie. Classmates get to know one another while deducing which is true and which is false. Ji-u, a second-year high school boy who dotes on his lizard Yong-sik as if it were family. Sori, a girl who always holds a pen or pencil and draws so that she does not have physical contact with anyone at school. Che-un, a boy who transferred into the class in the second term for “a certain reason.” The three, who had hardly interacted until then, become connected through “one lie,” and each touches on the secrets and lies they carry, as well as the tragedy that arose between them and their families, and their days quietly begin to change. With a new fact revealed every time you turn the page, the story, which throws a stone into the major Korean “image of family,” unfolds around “one lie.” This book is composed of short chapters from “1” to “24,” and each chapter is narrated from the perspective of one of the three. The way the secrets and lies each person carries gradually connect and the full picture of the story becomes clear is a must-see. The suspenseful development that makes you want to know what happens next and the structure that naturally makes you keep reading are also charms of this book. Furthermore, one of the highlights of this work is that it is composed of content that removes the traditional Korean concept of strong ties among blood relatives. In the story appear “pseudo-families” with no blood relation and pets that fulfill the role of “family” just like humans. In the present day, when more and more people are choosing not to think that getting married and having a family is the final destination of happiness, the content made one think that pets that stay by your side and support you in hard times, and people who, even without blood ties, sincerely worry about you and extend a helping hand, may from now on be called “family.” The truth hidden in the names of the three... check it with your own eyes Although “One of Them Is a Lie” was only just released in June 2026, many people who finished reading it have left comments. Readers have said things such as, “I was drawn to the delicate psychological depiction of people who share the same wounds respecting and saving one another,” “I could enjoy reading it while guessing which was true and which was a lie,” and “I liked the way the relationships of family and friends without blood ties were portrayed.” How, then, will Ji-u, Che-un, and Sori face, overcome, and grow from the secrets and lies they each carry and the tragedy that arose between them and their families? Also, please read the story while paying attention to the origins of the three characters’ names, such as Ji-u (“erase”), Che-un (“bury”), and Sori (“hand”). One of Them Is a Lie [Kim E-ran] Price: 2,200 yen (tax included, free shipping) (as of 2026/8/21) Buy on Rakuten Work information “One of Them Is a Lie” Released on Friday, June 26, 2026 List price: 2,200 yen (10% tax included) Format: B6-size softcover / 224 pages ISBN: 978-4-8342-5418-1 Cover illustration: Iwakuchi Kotohha Book design: Kaori Okamoto (woven tale) Published by: Homesha Distributed by: Shueisha Related links Shueisha official homepage Amazon Rakuten Books One of Them Is a Lie [Kim E-ran] Price: 2,200 yen (tax included, free shipping) (as of 2026/8/21) Buy on Rakuten One of Them Is a Lie [Kim E-ran] Price: 2,200 yen (tax included, free shipping) (as of 2026/8/21) Work information “One of Them Is a Lie” Released on Friday, June 26, 2026 List price: 2,200 yen (10% tax included) Format: B6-size softcover / 224 pages ISBN: 978-4-8342-5418-1 Cover illustration: Iwakuchi Kotohha Book design: Kaori Okamoto (woven tale) Published by: Homesha Distributed by: Shueisha Related links Shueisha official homepage Amazon Rakuten Books