Marigold Mind Laundry

June 1, 2024

A huge bestseller in Korea, Yun writes a work of healing fiction about a magical laundromat that can wash away painful memories, one created by the mysteriously talented Jieun. When she accidentally causes her family to vanish, she vows to keep living until she can fix it, only to learn that what will bring her solace is helping others. Prepub Alert.

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October 15, 2024
Globally best-selling Korean author Yun's English-language debut provides a deeply satisfying dose of magical realism. Timeless Jieun is mired, alas, in "aching loneliness . . . immune to life's joy," having lived a million lives. In her original youthful incarnation, she didn't understand the full extent of her (supposed-to-be) healing and wish-granting powers and somehow caused the disappearance of her beloved family. She lives life after life with the slim hope for a miraculous reunion. This time, she's settled in the coastal village of Marigold (because that was her mother's favorite flower), where the two-story building she imagines quickly becomes real, a welcoming haven where Jieun serves her special tea before visitors head upstairs to "a space where stains of the heart would be removed and wrinkled feelings ironed." A stalled filmmaker, a betrayed lover, a disgraced "celeb influencer," a musically inclined photographer, a struggling single mother all walk through Jieun's doors for revelatory cleansing. Predictable self-help platitudes are many--"love myself, accept myself for who I am"--but the feel-good rewards ultimately outweigh quibbles. Polyglot Singaporean translator Tan warmly enables anglophone access.

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September 2, 2024
Yun makes her English-language debut with the touching if anodyne story of a small coastal village where a laundress can wash stains off people’s souls. The pensive Jieun was born with the ability to heal others and make their wishes come true. She was separated from her parents as a little girl and has since been reincarnated for the literal millionth time. At the end of each life, she has longed in vain to be reunited in the next one with her original family. Now, in her latest iteration, she sets about healing others, taking away the bad memories of a young filmmaker and helping an influencer find a life that better suits her. In the process, Jieun discovers a surprising bond with a melancholy photographer and learns to enjoy the life she has. Some readers may lose patience with the generic self-help advice Jieun dispenses to her customers: “It’s OK to cry until you feel better”; “learn to live for yourself, not for anyone else.” Still, there’s an undeniable appeal to seeing people get a second chance at life. Those in the mood for an uplifting fable ought to seek this out.