New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- If you fancy a spooky read to get into the mood for Halloween, The Midnight Shift by Cheon San-Ran is a worthy contender. This Korean novel, translated into English by Gene Png, became a cult classic after its publication in 2021. Part murder mystery and part vampire fantasy, it is a heady, and sometimes heavy, story that reflects the grim reality of ageing in Korea. Set around a series of suspicious suicides at a care home for the elderly-abandoned by their loved ones due to their infirmity-the novel follows the investigations of police detective Suyeon and a mysterious stranger, Violette, who befriends her. While anchored in the supernatural, the novel paints a disturbing portrait of single women in a society that ...