Koffee & Kpop

“At New Seoul Park, Korea’s greatest theme park, an enigmatic man tempts visitors with a mysterious jelly candy that promises an unbreakable bond. As the sun beats down on a muggy summer afternoon, a child separated from her disinterested parents, a single mother striving to create a memorable day on a shoestring budget, and a couple on the brink of splitting up, all end up tasting this ominous candy. Little do they know that a sinister force lurks beneath the innocent facade. The sweet and innocent soon turns grotesque as the jelly becomes the catalyst for a sticky, sweet massacre.”

• Honford Star website

You know how you read the synopsis of the book, or even just the title, and know that it’s going to be the next book you read? That’s how I felt about The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre.

I got a copy thanks to Anthony over at Honford Star publishing, and you can purchase the book here. Or Amazon, if you must. Or check it out at your public library!

There’s a bit of background needed to fully understand how creepy this book is. Jelly, otherwise known as gummies, gummy bears, etc., is super popular in Korea. There are entire walls of jelly candy in conveinence stores. Jelly is way, way more popular than chocolate and I’m often asked specifically for jelly. I’ve not come across a single person here who doesn’t like jelly, whereas I have come across people who don’t like chocolate or hard candy.

There is also this mentality (that is most definitely not unique to the Korean culture) of “oooh people are lining up, what are they lining up for, should I be lining up too, yeah I’m going to line up too.” I admit–I fell for it at the Coffee Expo this year. I lined up for something that I later figured out was a free espresso shot from a professional barista. When I got in line, though, I had no idea what I was lining up for. I just knew people were lining up, it was free, and it was probably coffee. Count me in!

Now imagine a line full of children and adults lining up for free jelly, and then you might begin to understand how terrifying this little novel is.

The novel is written through various characters’ POVs, including Dream Kitty, a cat that wanders the theme park. I really enjoyed this initially, but it got a bit muddy towards the end of the book. I feel like the author either veered too much off course or had a lot more to say that wasn’t fully ironed out yet. I read somewhere online that this novel came from a short story initially, which would explain why the ending felt the way it did. It’s incredibly hard to adapt short stories into longer forms.

If you’re expecting a nice, neat little story that unravels nicely, this isn’t for you. But if you’re in for a horrific, sticky adventure that tackles modern day themes such as child neglect, the housing crisis (particularly in Seoul), single motherhood, and complicated romance, then definitely pick up a copy.