In Town, a former fishing village bought out by a global conglomerate to form its own country, only those with "valuable skills" become citizens and enjoy prosperity. The non-citizens retreat to the Saha Estates, a run-down building usually without electricity or water. These disenfranchised residents are known as Saha and are often forced into harsh labor or becoming unknowing test subjects for survival.

SAHA is an ambitious novel that aims to demonstrate the haunting experiences at capitalism's most extreme without any social safety nets. Cho employs a series of interlinked characters to display how most Sahas only become so due to singular accidents through snippets of their lives. She utilizes flashbacks before and after moving to Saha to demonstrate the characters' resilience and kindness despite their situations.

While the premise of SAHA is intriguing, the format didn't quite work for me. The characters are underdeveloped, and the mystery that opens the book with much suspense doesn't end up going anywhere. I'm unsure if the characters are used to move the plot forward or if their stories pre- vs post-Saha days are the focal point. Unfortunately, both aspects of the novel require much more work to evolve into a coherent narrative. Overall, SAHA reads more like a stream of consciousness.

For those who've read this book, I'm curious about your thoughts. It's not my favorite, but maybe I just missed something