Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun
In Jungeun Yun's Marigold Mind Laundry, a magical realist laundry becomes a place where hearts can be washed free of the troubled memories that stain them
The village that Marigold Mind Laundry begins in doesn’t have a name, but it bears a strong resemblance to Gabriel Garcia Márquez's Macondo – a remote spot where modernity is kept at bay and magic is a part of everyday reality. When a young villager named Jieun tragically loses her family, she embarks on a journey that will take her across hundreds of lifetimes, using her powers to set up the titular laundry, a place where hearts can be washed free of the troubled memories that stain them.
Jungeun Yun’s best-selling novel is a gentle story about how we hurt and heal. Each chapter introduces us to a new customer of Jieun’s, from a young filmmaker haunted by failure to an influencer plagued by success and a delivery man who keeps in constant motion in a bid to leave his childhood traumas behind. One by one, they all learn a little about how to move on from the darker parts of their lives, and Jieun slowly learns to do just the same.
The lessons found in Marigold Mind Laundry can be simple, even a little saccharine. Some of its wisdom feels a little faded from overuse, like when a character solemnly recites the 'Dance like nobody is watching' poem. But, for the most part, Yun’s novel is sweet and soothing, delivered in prose as soft and crisp as fresh folded laundry.