Serin is a Korean school girl who desperately wants a ticket to enter the mysterious market that is only open during the rainy season. She wants to escape the soul crushing poverty she and her mother suffer. People write to the market describing their unhappiness with their life and if deemed worthy, receive a ticket. Sarin receives a golden ticket allowing her to observe multiple possible lives before choosing one.The market (bigger on the inside) is inhabited by a community of Dokkaebi (Korean goblins) who will sell a ticket holder a globe containing a possible life.. Accompanied by a spirit guide cat, Issha, Sarin attempts to find the life that will make her happy.
“The author set out to write a light, fun read that was still packed with meaning…that left readers with a lingering sense of warmth”. She succeeds. Sarin is a sensitive, empathetic girl but she also has a kid’s naivety when it comes to thinking what would make her happy. The world within the market is fun to explore and the Dokkaebi are eccentric and amusing . The story is very good and has humor and some peril. The message isn’t heavy handed and is pretty clear: what you think you want may not be what you need; and maybe happiness is closer to home than you think. And it does leave you with a warm feeling that lingers.
The book can be read both by adults and young persons. I know I would have loved it in middle school. There are some scenes that would have had me howling and had me sniggering today.. The Dokkaebi make their goods from things they harvest from humans such as the essence of human words, forgotten human memories, the sweat and tears humans shed in pursuit of their goals. and this is part of the message: look at all the things that make us humans. It can be read and enjoyed as a cozy fantasy but it will also appeal if you're down or wondering about your life and how it could have been different.
I wish I had a kid to read it with. Maybe that’s what would be in my globe.
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