Walking Practice

A Novel

By: Dolki Min

Narrated by: Nicky Endres

Squid Game meets The Left Hand of Darkness meets Under the Skin in this radical literary sensation from South Korea about an alien's hunt for food that transforms into an existential crisis about what it means to be human.

After crashing their spacecraft in the middle of nowhere, a shapeshifting alien finds themself stranded on an unfamiliar planet and disabled by Earth’s gravity. To survive, they will need to practice walking. And what better way than to hunt for food? As they discover, humans are delicious.

Intelligent, clever, and adaptable, the alien shifts their gender, appearance, and conduct to suit a prey’s sexual preference, then attacks at the pivotal moment of their encounter. They use a variety of hunting tools, including a popular dating app, to target the juiciest prey and carry a backpack filled with torturous instruments and cleaning equipment. But the alien’s existence begins to unravel one night when they fail to kill their latest meal.

Thrust into an ill-fated chase across the city, the alien is confronted with the psychological and physical tolls their experience on Earth has taken. Questioning what they must do to sustain their own survival, they begin to understand why humans also fight to live. But their hunger is insatiable, and the alien once again targets a new prey, not knowing what awaits. . . .

Dolki Min’s haunting debut novel is part psychological thriller, part searing critique of the social structures that marginalize those who are different—the disabled, queer, and nonconformist. Walking Practice uncovers humanity in who we consider to be alien, and illuminates how alienation can shape the human experience.

Translated from the Korean by Victoria Caudle

©2023 Dolki Min (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

New favorite queer horror!!!

This a was fantastic read. Our protagonist is both mighty and fragile, dealing with the complications navigating survival and sporting human drag. Sexual, violent, vulnerable, and messy... a mix that gives what should be an impossible amount of authenticity given our monsterous star.

Best audio book performance I've ever heard

Nicky Endres does a truly phenomenal performance as a multi-gendered alien with very physical noises, onomatopoeias, text dissolving in a way that cant be translated into normal speech and intonations laden with meaning. They deliver an incredible performance and unlike many audiobook actors are not just reading the words. I've listened to dozens, if not hundreds of audiobooks over the years and this is by far the best narration I have ever heard.

The book itself is incredibly interesting with a nonhuman protagonist with a very unique outlook. The main character still is strongly defined with lots of snark and wants/needs. Excellent queer story.

Great performance

This is my first time reading a book that was translated from Korean. I really enjoyed it. The body horror is so real and so gross, but also very relatable to someone in the LGBTQ pmmunity

Weird and thought provoking

While grotesque in some ways it also makes you think about the different ways we transform ourselves to fit into society. And isn’t that grotesque that we must contort ourselves to fit in? I probably would have preferred to read rather than listen to the book as I’m not a huge fan of “acting” by narrators. However I understand why it was done given the nature of the book and the narrator did an excellent job.

Odd on every level but not terrible

I liked the idea of the story, but I feel like it could’ve been best adapted as a short story and left at that. The narration is quite odd and at times a bit much on the brain. However, I get what the narrator was going for. This book is definitely not for everyone, but I’m sure is beloved by a few.

The bizarre narration.

I think the story was interesting, but it must have been lost somewhat in translation. A lot of parts fell short, but were probably much better in Korean. The narration was bizarre and I didn't like it at all.

Very bad. I can't tell if it's the translation, performance, or original writing.

I disliked the switch from 3rd person to talking directly to the reader, going down rabbit holes in the middle of the story, and the awful performance. Nothing like squid game. I have never given such a low score to an audio book but this just did not work for me. I got a little over an hour before I had to quit. Absolutely awful.

Overacted and under developed

This book is one note, repetitive, and painful to listen to. To match the shapeshifter protagonist, the narrator fluctuates their voice at random intervals and it’s unbearable to listen to. If you’re interested in the concept, pick up “someone you can build a nest in,” it’s infinitely better executed.