Releasing the Magic in Life

The blockbuster bestseller

Reading Jungeun Yun’s Marigold Mind Laundry was like watching a Ghibli movie, enhanced with some elements of Korean drama and a sprinkling of Haruki Murakami’s magic realism.

I wondered what kind of genre this extraordinary book falls into, and found that it is a “healing novel” – a book that aims to soothe the reader and bring upon a sense of self-realization and inspiration.

From the very first page, the reader is drawn into a utopian world, where no one understands hate and the weather is always pleasant. The book’s protagonist, Jieun, was born into this realm, with loving parents and a wonderful childhood.

One day, however, she hears her parents whispering about her special powers and how they should help her manage them. Unbeknownst to her, she is able to make her wishes and dreams come true. Alas, it is one of her dreams that causes her to lose her family forever.

Wrecked with guilt and intense grief, Jieun seeks her parents over the span of a million lifetimes, always withdrawing from affection and attachment to the people she meets during those lifetimes.

It is not until she arrives at Marigold, a picture-perfect town, when she decides to conjure a mind laundry overnight. The Marigold Mind Laundry is a place where painful memories turn into stains on white shirts. After a spin in the washing machines or a hand wash, these stains transform into dancing red camellia petals.

Many injured souls come to the Mind Laundry to alleviate their agonizing memories. Jaeha, a filmmaker who is struggling to regain success after his one-hit wonder, wishes to erase his failures so he can move on with his life. Yeonhee, his childhood friend, hopes to forget her once passionate lover who has betrayed her. Eunbyul, a suicidal celegram, has fame and fortune but is stricken by her financial obligations to her family and debilitating loneliness. Yeonghui is a victim of bullying who cannot have meaningful relationships due to his deep emotional scars.

Gently and patiently, Jieun listens to their stories and helps to wash their memory stains in a healing process. She believes that this is her other power – to help smooth out the wrinkles in others’ past so they can be liberated and “muster the courage to open the closed door in [their] hearts.”

However, after healing many souls, Jieun realizes that she must also heal her own. Running the mind laundry has allowed her to come to the conclusion that “today is the most special gift. No matter how many regrets you have, yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is the future that has yet to come.” With that realization, Jieun manages to release her own guilt about her parents’ disappearance and becomes a true believer of herself.

This lovely book beckons us to seek comfort and magic in ourselves and to empathize with others. It is a welcome relief for anyone living in a fast-paced, hypercompetitive society. What’s more, the Kinokuniya version is absolutely stunning. It features pretty sprayed edges adorned with camellia petals and subtle foil artwork on the cover. Definitely a book to savor and cherish.