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A review by angethology
The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre by Cho Yeeun
3.75
This was such a fun whimsical ride. The New Seoul Park represents a place that is almost surreal, with crowds bustling and cheering over thrilling rides and funny characters. But when you zoom in on each individual, a lot of them have worries from their personal lives that the theme park can't even wash away for a second: from Yuji with her fighting parents, Jua with her mom who tries her best with a budget, a lonely cat, CEO Hyeongyeongin a strange cult, and a hardworking employee, Sajun, at the park who hyper fixates on every cent he earns. And the dreamy theme park where escapism is the main appeal for everyone, turns out to be a sticky nightmare.
The book follows a couple of people's perspectives as well as a cat, making it like a short story collection. What everyone has in common is the feeling of discontentment, or the lack of fulfillment in life, whether that has to do with romantic relationships, family, and/or work. The theme park is supposed to be at least a temporary solution that unites people together — and it does, but in an unexpected way that lends itself to permanence. The jelly, seemingly a refreshing and sweet snack is a deceptive vehicle that shows that there isn't a shortcut in life that instantly solves your problems. At the same time, the decisiveness of consuming a jelly, once you know the outcome of it, might provide people with some relief that, like the cat says: "It's all right. It's all going to end one day."
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, while certain stories might feel a bit same-ish, the part with the CEO and the cat really tied things together. The bizarre and surreal aspect particularly kicks in the second half of the book, where devil worshipping and the perspective of a Jelly enters the narrative; the end indeed feels like everyone "dance[s] with the devil." It ends up being a much more heartfelt book than expected, and for people who aren't usually into body-horror, this one is quite "mild."
The book follows a couple of people's perspectives as well as a cat, making it like a short story collection. What everyone has in common is the feeling of discontentment, or the lack of fulfillment in life, whether that has to do with romantic relationships, family, and/or work. The theme park is supposed to be at least a temporary solution that unites people together — and it does, but in an unexpected way that lends itself to permanence. The jelly, seemingly a refreshing and sweet snack is a deceptive vehicle that shows that there isn't a shortcut in life that instantly solves your problems. At the same time, the decisiveness of consuming a jelly, once you know the outcome of it, might provide people with some relief that, like the cat says: "It's all right. It's all going to end one day."
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, while certain stories might feel a bit same-ish, the part with the CEO and the cat really tied things together. The bizarre and surreal aspect particularly kicks in the second half of the book, where devil worshipping and the perspective of a Jelly enters the narrative; the end indeed feels like everyone "dance[s] with the devil." It ends up being a much more heartfelt book than expected, and for people who aren't usually into body-horror, this one is quite "mild."