Molka by Monika Kim
Erewhon Books (February 2026)
Reviewed by Briana Morgan
Molka by Monika Kim is a visceral, slow-burn feminist horror novel about the dangers of molka (“secret cameras”) in South Korea. The book follows two characters, Dahye and Junyoung, and their vastly different experiences with secret camera footage. Dahye is a troubled young woman who works in an office during the day and goes out with her wealthy boyfriend at night. Junyoung works in the same office but enjoys darker extracurricular fare—like hiding cameras in the women’s bathroom.
Dahye’s world turns upside down when her boyfriend leaks an intimate video of the two of them. Her boyfriend vanishes, she quits her job, and leaves the comfort of her parents’ residence. As she spirals into depression, her drowned, deceased sister Eunhye appears. She crawls out of the vents and swears to help Dahye get revenge on her ex-boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Junyoung has fallen madly in love with Dahye. After watching her shame-filled descent, he keeps tabs on her and shows up at her new apartment. What follows is a blood-soaked plunge into depravity and “good for her” horror I couldn’t put down. Through a rage-filled partnership with her dead sister, Dahye slakes her thirst for vengeance and then some in one of the goriest scenes I’ve ever read.
Molka not only presents a thrilling, character-driven narrative—it serves as an outcry against rampant misogyny. Dahye is a survivor who refuses to be silenced. She is capable, strong, and angry, which makes her all the more real. Throughout the book, Kim expertly blends supernatural scares with the real-life horrors of molka for a satisfying story like nothing you’ve seen before.
