Bourke's Bookshelf: ‘A tomorrow better than today’ – Brainerd Dispatch

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BRAINERD — I must confess the cover of this latest read might have factored into my decision to read it. But how can a bookworm like myself say no to something so beautiful?
I didn’t know much about the story going in, but I soon found myself swept away into the magical world of Korean folklore.
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Written by South Korean author You Yeong-Gwang and translated into English by Canadian-based translator Slin Jung, “The Rainfall Market” is a book of “what ifs.” What if I were rich? What if I went to the best college? What if I worked for the top company? What if my entire life were different?
Yeong-Gwang explores all of those “what ifs” through the eyes of a desperate teenager. He weaves in the fantastical dokkaebi, legendary creatures from Korean mythology, creating a story unlike anything I’ve ever read in the Western world.
Serin yearns for a different life. One where she can be a typical teenager — where she’s not poor, her little sister didn’t run away and she has friends to confide in.
She needs to get to the Rainfall Market.
It’s a thing of myth, the Rainfall Market. An abandoned house on the edge of Rainbow Town, it’s said to be the place where all your hopes and dreams could come true. All a human’s got to do is send in a letter detailing their misfortunes.Then they could receive a ticket giving them admittance to the market during the rainy season. And that’s where they could pick an entirely new life to live, one with everything they’ve ever wanted.
When a golden ticket with Serin’s name on it arrives just ahead of the rainy season, she knows this is her one chance to change the trajectory of her life and finally be happy.
But what she doesn’t realize is how tricky picking a new life can be. Does she want to be rich? Well-educated? Employed with a prestigious company? Marry the love of her life? Surely any of those paths would lead her to happiness.
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“The Rainfall Market” is a story of childhood naivety and desperation, laced with friendship and hope, mixed with a magic both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Serin’s search for happiness is something I think we can all relate to and offers a lesson in gratitude and appreciation.
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