TMR Season 21: Ed Park’s SAME BED DIFFERENT DREAMS
We’re back! Due to a change in how one logs into University of Rochester hosted websites and services, I’ve been blocked from accessing this website for over a month now . . . But it’s all resolved (still can’t submit course adoptions to B&N College Stores—who happen to be on credit hold with our distributor 🙄—but one thing at a time) and I can finally post about the next season of the Two Month Review. (And, with the start of 2024, a whole bunch of other things as well)
So, this season, “The One in Which TMR Starts Drinking,” is going to be all about Ed Park’s Same Bed Different Dreams, which has been getting a ton of attention as of late—after getting a ton of anticipatory hype.
Here’s the jacket copy for anyone unfamiliar with this sprawling, wonderful book:
In 1919, far-flung patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to protest the Japanese occupation of their country. This government-in-exile proves mostly symbolic, though, and after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the KPG dissolves and civil war erupts, resulting in the tragic North-South split that remains today.
But what if the KPG still existed—now working toward a unified Korea, secretly pulling levers to further its aims? Same Bed Different Dreams weaves together three distinct narrative voices with an archive of mysterious images, and twists reality like a kaleidoscope. Korean history, American pop culture, and our tech-fraught lives come together in this extraordinary and unforgettable novel.
Soon Sheen, a former writer now employed by the tech behemoth GLOAT, comes into possession of an unfinished book seemingly authored by the KPG. The manuscript is a riveting revisionist history, connecting famous names and obscure bit players to the KPG’s grand project—everyone from Syngman Rhee and architect-poet Yi Sang to Jack London and Marilyn Monroe. M*A*S*H is in here, too, as are the Moonies and a history of violence extending from the assassination of President McKinley to the Reagan-era downing of a passenger plane that puts the world on the brink of war.
From the acclaimed author of Personal Days, Same Bed Different Dreams is a raucously funny feat of imagination and a thrilling meld of history and fiction that pulls readers into another dimension—one in which utopia is possible.
And, for anyone more interested in the visual, here’s a trailer! (That’s only available on Amazon, apparently.)
As always, we’ll be broadcasting live on Thursday mornings at 10am (subject to change, follow TMR on Twitter for updates), with the podcast version available for download (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, this website) every Friday.
This season, we’ll be talking with a number of people from throughout the book world—for example, a bookseller, critic, academic, writer, booktuber, etc.—and adding those onto the audio-only version. And we kick that all off with a conversation with Ed Park himself! Download the first episode on Friday (12/8) to hear him talk about the origins of the book, his process, various influences, Korean authors to read, and more!
One final note: This season will last through the end of January, and then, in February, we’ll kick off season 22 featuring Alexis Wright’s Praiseworthy. (Pre-order now, so that you’re ready to go when the season rolls around.)
But, what’s of most importance right now, is the Same Bed Different Dreams reading schedule, which is as follows:
12/7: 1-70
12/14: 71-155
12/21: 156-206
12/28: 207-256
1/4: 257-342
1/11: 343-382
1/18: 383-450
1/25: 451-End
Here’s the link to the first episode on YouTube. See you there!
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