The book made me tear up.
The main character Mina knows how to tell stories, and she has to tell them in order to try and revive the Sea God, and save her village. Of course, we have the mysterious Shin who protects the Sea God in his slumber, but apparently has no soul. We have the goddess of motherhood who needs bribes to answer prayers, we have the goddess of the moon who seems to want to kill Mina for a reason I still don’t understand. We also have these really interesting spirits who seem to be helping her for absolutely no reason but the banter.
“What if someone told you your fate was to climb up the highest waterfall and jump off ? Or to hurt the person you love most in the world? Or worse, to hurt the person who loves you most in the world? Fate is a tricky thing. It’s not for you, or me, or even the gods, to question what it is . . . or is not.”
And then as Mina puts the pieces of the hundred year old mystery together, you basically want to cry. I mean the story of Dai and Miki, when Dai is hurt, and who they all are really are to Mina is insanely sweet and perfect. The way things change between her and Shin especially after the visit to the goddess of motherhood is really nicely done.
“It was the boat that carried her. She would have fallen into the River of Souls if it weren’t for that cradle. Something crafted with so much love could never sink.”
I’d never heard of the folktale ‘The Tale of Shim Cheong,’ before this, but honestly one doesn’t need to in order to love this book. And if you aren’t a fan or haven’t watched spirited away and the other things they mention in the blurb, you really don’t have to. The book is beautiful and lyrical and sucks you in.
“That there is no place you can go so far away from forgiveness. Not from someone who loves you.”