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notebookings 's review for:
The Rainfall Market
by You Yeong-Gwang
this book has so many of the things i love: magical realism, a child narrator, a setting that feels part ghibli, part willy wonka, and the slow, quiet journey of figuring out who you are and what you want to become.
serin, the protagonist, longs for a different life that will grant her escape from her current misfortunes. one rainy morning, she’s granted entry into the rainfall market, a hidden world that opens with the season’s first storm. here, dokkaebis (mystical creatures from korean folklore) trade in orbs that hold the lives people wish for.
with the help of issa, a magical cat, serin meets a cast of eccentric dokkaebis-turned-friends who help her move closer to the future she’s been longing for.
i enjoyed wandering alongside serin, meeting the quirky vendors and watching her navigate the market. it felt like a game where every choice mattered and every trade carried a cost.
but as much as i was drawn to the overall setting, the english translation felt too simple. this is my recurring frustration with translated east asian lit: the emotional depth and nuance of the original language often get lost.
it’s a book best suited for young readers just starting to fall in love with stories. i kept thinking of my grade-school self and how much she would’ve adored this.
serin, the protagonist, longs for a different life that will grant her escape from her current misfortunes. one rainy morning, she’s granted entry into the rainfall market, a hidden world that opens with the season’s first storm. here, dokkaebis (mystical creatures from korean folklore) trade in orbs that hold the lives people wish for.
with the help of issa, a magical cat, serin meets a cast of eccentric dokkaebis-turned-friends who help her move closer to the future she’s been longing for.
i enjoyed wandering alongside serin, meeting the quirky vendors and watching her navigate the market. it felt like a game where every choice mattered and every trade carried a cost.
but as much as i was drawn to the overall setting, the english translation felt too simple. this is my recurring frustration with translated east asian lit: the emotional depth and nuance of the original language often get lost.
it’s a book best suited for young readers just starting to fall in love with stories. i kept thinking of my grade-school self and how much she would’ve adored this.