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La masacre del vendedor de gominolas del New Seoul Park
Una lectura imprescindible de una de las grandes voces emergentes del terror coreano contemporáneo.
En New Seoul Park, el parque temático más famoso de Corea, un hombre misterioso atrae a los visitantes con una extraña gominola que promete unirlos para siempre. En una bochornosa tarde de verano, una niña perdida, una madre soltera que intenta regalarle a su hijo un día especial sin salirse de un presupuesto y una pareja a punto de romper acaban probando aquel inquietante dulce.
Pero ninguno sabe que, bajo su apariencia inocente, se esconde algo siniestro y lo que parecía dulce e inofensivo, pronto se convierte en una pesadilla grotesca: la gominola desata una masacre tan pegajosa como empalagosa.
En New Seoul Park, el parque temático más famoso de Corea, un hombre misterioso atrae a los visitantes con una extraña gominola que promete unirlos para siempre. En una bochornosa tarde de verano, una niña perdida, una madre soltera que intenta regalarle a su hijo un día especial sin salirse de un presupuesto y una pareja a punto de romper acaban probando aquel inquietante dulce.
Pero ninguno sabe que, bajo su apariencia inocente, se esconde algo siniestro y lo que parecía dulce e inofensivo, pronto se convierte en una pesadilla grotesca: la gominola desata una masacre tan pegajosa como empalagosa.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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August 7, 2024
Absolutely gorgeous cover and an original idea of jelly being handed out by the devil(?) in a theme park, leading to people dissolving. However all events in this book are told at least from two perspectives, reducing any tension in this horror narrative
He guessed that such feelings—in the face of a psychopath who didn’t even care to wipe the blood off her face—violated the norms or ethics of society, but fuck, who cared?
The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre is a short story reworked to a full novel. The initial chapter sets up the premise of a theme park visit being disrupted by a cellphone blackout and people congealing into an amorphous mass after consumption of eerie jelly. The result is something similar to what happens to the Western theme park in Jordan Peele’s Nope.
In the follow up chapters topics like poverty and the willingness and hope to escape this is Seoul are recurring threads, as is constant misogyny against women in society, and anxiety in respect to societal advancement through studying insane hours for various exams.
The cleaner CEO turned homicidal is interesting (and I found her storyline quite funny), especially when she turns out to be a believer in being a handpicked emissary of the devil.
In the end influencers take over the abandoned theme park, similar to that horror Cecil hotel in LA (watch it on Netflix, absolutely wild true crime which makes you doubt funny tasting water in hotels for the rest of your life: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/8118...), which feels both morbid, cynical and probably very accurate.
Quotes are below, but a solid and weirdly quite fun read from South Korea.
Receiving cash was more important to him than receiving information that he probably couldn’t process.
It’s a very lonely thing to live in the past.
I committed to my memory the principles of gambling: if you bet little you lose little; if you bet big you lose big. Rarely does anyone bet little and win big.
I thought I was betting very timidly on the issues of life. I always expected little from life because I didn’t have the courage to bet anything big. I only hoped for inconsequential things that wouldn’t affect me at all if I lost them. That was the kind of life my mom wanted for me and the kind of life I wanted for myself.
My mom was all I had—she was the only one I had in the world to love and the only one I had to resent.
Jelly was just too young to know that leaving or not leaving wasn’t up to you. In this world, nothing lasted forever.
She should not have trusted someone who had once been human. They always came and left so easily. All she could do was accept things as they were.
He guessed that such feelings—in the face of a psychopath who didn’t even care to wipe the blood off her face—violated the norms or ethics of society, but fuck, who cared?
The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre is a short story reworked to a full novel. The initial chapter sets up the premise of a theme park visit being disrupted by a cellphone blackout and people congealing into an amorphous mass after consumption of eerie jelly. The result is something similar to what happens to the Western theme park in Jordan Peele’s Nope.
In the follow up chapters topics like poverty and the willingness and hope to escape this is Seoul are recurring threads, as is constant misogyny against women in society, and anxiety in respect to societal advancement through studying insane hours for various exams.
The cleaner CEO turned homicidal is interesting (and I found her storyline quite funny), especially when she turns out to be a believer in being a handpicked emissary of the devil.
In the end influencers take over the abandoned theme park, similar to that horror Cecil hotel in LA (watch it on Netflix, absolutely wild true crime which makes you doubt funny tasting water in hotels for the rest of your life: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/8118...), which feels both morbid, cynical and probably very accurate.
Quotes are below, but a solid and weirdly quite fun read from South Korea.
Receiving cash was more important to him than receiving information that he probably couldn’t process.
It’s a very lonely thing to live in the past.
I committed to my memory the principles of gambling: if you bet little you lose little; if you bet big you lose big. Rarely does anyone bet little and win big.
I thought I was betting very timidly on the issues of life. I always expected little from life because I didn’t have the courage to bet anything big. I only hoped for inconsequential things that wouldn’t affect me at all if I lost them. That was the kind of life my mom wanted for me and the kind of life I wanted for myself.
My mom was all I had—she was the only one I had in the world to love and the only one I had to resent.
Jelly was just too young to know that leaving or not leaving wasn’t up to you. In this world, nothing lasted forever.
She should not have trusted someone who had once been human. They always came and left so easily. All she could do was accept things as they were.
Read
May 19, 2024Told from multiple perspectives, The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre provides the reader with what it says on the tin: a massacre about jelly at a theme park in Seoul. We begin with a young girl whose parents don't get along. She so wishes they did, and when she gets lost in the crowd, the girl meets a man whose face is out of focus, and is offering visitors to the park a jelly sweet that will keep those who eat them bonded forever.
This turns out to be unsettlingly literal, as the jelly sweet causes its consumers to melt into jelly, and their forms begin to melt into one amorphous thing. We then see this gradual massacre play out from different angles: that of a girl in a difficult romance, that of a fed-up employee who wears a mascot uniform, and even that of a successful CEO who is secretly part of a satanic cult.
Thematically, these people represent dissatisfaction, exhaustion, and frustration—in work, love, and life—and the theme park is their place to escape; the place where dreams come true. But things are never that simple, are they?
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/korean-novels...
This turns out to be unsettlingly literal, as the jelly sweet causes its consumers to melt into jelly, and their forms begin to melt into one amorphous thing. We then see this gradual massacre play out from different angles: that of a girl in a difficult romance, that of a fed-up employee who wears a mascot uniform, and even that of a successful CEO who is secretly part of a satanic cult.
Thematically, these people represent dissatisfaction, exhaustion, and frustration—in work, love, and life—and the theme park is their place to escape; the place where dreams come true. But things are never that simple, are they?
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/korean-novels...
July 28, 2024
Dużo groteski, dziwnych wydarzeń i świetnego pióra.
I’m in.
I’m in.
April 12, 2024
“Do you think your parents are here?” the voice asked.
It was the man who had given her the jelly. He had come out of nowhere. She was standing face to face with him, but she couldn't discern the features of his face. Yuji rubbed her eyes. It was no use. His face was still shrouded in darkness, his voice was as shady and damp as a cave, and his features were blurred.
“네 엄마와 아빠가 여기 있을 것 같니?”
젤리를 건넨 아저씨였다. 그는 불쑥 솟아난 것처럼 갑자기 유지의 앞에 나타났다. 분명 얼굴을 마주 보고 있음에도 그의 얼굴 형태를 알아볼 수가 없었다. 유지는 두 눈을 비볐다. 마찬가지였다. 여전히 그의 얼굴은 어둠에 잠겨 있고, 목소리는 동굴같이 음습했으며 이목구비는 뭉개져 있다.
New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre is Yewon Jung's translation of 뉴서울파크 젤리장수 대학살 by 조예은 (Cho Yeeun). The translation was published in the US by Safehouse in 2022 (under the Jelly Vendor Massacre) and in the UK in 2024 by Honford Star.
And this version includes another example of the stunning cover art for which they are known, this time by Jee-ook Choi.
This is a very weird story - schlock horror with underlying social commentary. Set in the New Seoul Park theme park - remiscent of Lotte World or Everland - on a hot summer's day, when tempers are rising along with the temperatures, a mysterious figure, dressed as a park employee but with no visible face, hands out free-samples of jelly, particularly to squabbling families and couples, telling them “이 젤리 먹으면 절대로 안 헤어져요.” - "you'll never split up if you share this jelly". But then those who've sampled his wares find they literally melt into jellies themselves, fusing into one shapeless pink form.
The narrative style is somewhat strange - several of the chapters seem more like variations on a theme, retelling the events of the day from slightly difference perspective but a lot of overlap - e.g. that of Dream Teddy the park mascot, or rather the person wearing his costume that day; Dream Kitty, another mascot but this time a literal cat who lives in the park; even one young girl who melts into a jelly, but unlike the others still remains sentient and mobile. From reviews of the US edition, which contained an afterword, the format may result from this originally being a short-story. Others do propel the story forward, with the suggestion that the figure handing out the jelly is Him, the object of devotion of an anonymous online community of worshippers of a devil-like figure.
Bizarre
It was the man who had given her the jelly. He had come out of nowhere. She was standing face to face with him, but she couldn't discern the features of his face. Yuji rubbed her eyes. It was no use. His face was still shrouded in darkness, his voice was as shady and damp as a cave, and his features were blurred.
“네 엄마와 아빠가 여기 있을 것 같니?”
젤리를 건넨 아저씨였다. 그는 불쑥 솟아난 것처럼 갑자기 유지의 앞에 나타났다. 분명 얼굴을 마주 보고 있음에도 그의 얼굴 형태를 알아볼 수가 없었다. 유지는 두 눈을 비볐다. 마찬가지였다. 여전히 그의 얼굴은 어둠에 잠겨 있고, 목소리는 동굴같이 음습했으며 이목구비는 뭉개져 있다.
New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre is Yewon Jung's translation of 뉴서울파크 젤리장수 대학살 by 조예은 (Cho Yeeun). The translation was published in the US by Safehouse in 2022 (under the Jelly Vendor Massacre) and in the UK in 2024 by Honford Star.
Honford Star is committed to bridging literary worlds, celebrating the richness of East Asian literature. Our goal is to respect the authenticity and diversity of these narratives, bringing them to a global audience through collaborative partnerships with skilled translators, artists, and designers.
And this version includes another example of the stunning cover art for which they are known, this time by Jee-ook Choi.
This is a very weird story - schlock horror with underlying social commentary. Set in the New Seoul Park theme park - remiscent of Lotte World or Everland - on a hot summer's day, when tempers are rising along with the temperatures, a mysterious figure, dressed as a park employee but with no visible face, hands out free-samples of jelly, particularly to squabbling families and couples, telling them “이 젤리 먹으면 절대로 안 헤어져요.” - "you'll never split up if you share this jelly". But then those who've sampled his wares find they literally melt into jellies themselves, fusing into one shapeless pink form.
The narrative style is somewhat strange - several of the chapters seem more like variations on a theme, retelling the events of the day from slightly difference perspective but a lot of overlap - e.g. that of Dream Teddy the park mascot, or rather the person wearing his costume that day; Dream Kitty, another mascot but this time a literal cat who lives in the park; even one young girl who melts into a jelly, but unlike the others still remains sentient and mobile. From reviews of the US edition, which contained an afterword, the format may result from this originally being a short-story. Others do propel the story forward, with the suggestion that the figure handing out the jelly is Him, the object of devotion of an anonymous online community of worshippers of a devil-like figure.
Bizarre
June 20, 2024
“Soon she learned why she couldn’t hear herself screaming; everyone in the theme park was screaming. What she saw was people turning into jelly, and people who had already turned into jelly, tangled together all over the place.”
This book takes us to a theme park named New Seoul Park. It’s got fun rides, its mascot Dream Teddy handing out balloons and dancing, and only today the jelly vendor is giving out free jelly.
Cellphones don’t seem to be working.
And oh, look at that, people are melting over each other and becoming jelly. How fun.
This was such a fun book. It’s a mix of surrealist horror and a short story collection of sorts, as you follow different characters involved in the New Seoul Park jelly vendor massacre. The first couple POVs were my favorite. We have Yuji, a girl that gets separated from her parents while they’re fighting and gets lost. And then Sajun, a broke guy obsessed with his bank account - he’s the guy inside Dream Teddy’s costume. I thought they were the most fun because they introduced us to the story.
I wished this had had a faster pacing because some of the stories made you feel for the characters (like the one with Jua’s mother, the cat, the couple…), but I don’t think I cared? We’ve got a jelly massacre going on, I wanted more of that. And Yu Hyeongyong’s chapter was just utterly boring, I don’t think I cared about the background of the whole mess (or maybe it got lost because Yu had so many issues with her mother-in-law, like I didn’t care about that).
I’m starting to notice Korean books have a theme going on about characters haunted by capitalism (Sajun’s POV but also the novella A Magical Girl Retires) or what capitalism does to tragedy (the latter chapters here and the book The Disaster Tourist), this book features both strongly. I’m liking this.
Really fun book! And flawless translation by Yewon Jung, I loved the writing. I hope we get more from this author!
This book takes us to a theme park named New Seoul Park. It’s got fun rides, its mascot Dream Teddy handing out balloons and dancing, and only today the jelly vendor is giving out free jelly.
Cellphones don’t seem to be working.
And oh, look at that, people are melting over each other and becoming jelly. How fun.
This was such a fun book. It’s a mix of surrealist horror and a short story collection of sorts, as you follow different characters involved in the New Seoul Park jelly vendor massacre. The first couple POVs were my favorite. We have Yuji, a girl that gets separated from her parents while they’re fighting and gets lost. And then Sajun, a broke guy obsessed with his bank account - he’s the guy inside Dream Teddy’s costume. I thought they were the most fun because they introduced us to the story.
I wished this had had a faster pacing because some of the stories made you feel for the characters (like the one with Jua’s mother, the cat, the couple…), but I don’t think I cared? We’ve got a jelly massacre going on, I wanted more of that. And Yu Hyeongyong’s chapter was just utterly boring, I don’t think I cared about the background of the whole mess (or maybe it got lost because Yu had so many issues with her mother-in-law, like I didn’t care about that).
I’m starting to notice Korean books have a theme going on about characters haunted by capitalism (Sajun’s POV but also the novella A Magical Girl Retires) or what capitalism does to tragedy (the latter chapters here and the book The Disaster Tourist), this book features both strongly. I’m liking this.
Really fun book! And flawless translation by Yewon Jung, I loved the writing. I hope we get more from this author!
April 8, 2025
*3.5*
Lo admito, lo leí por la portada. Pero con esa trama es dificil de resistirse. ¿El diablo ha creado una masacre en un parque de diversiones en corea, básicamente en Lotte World, donde la gente se derritió y convirtió en gelatina? Sign me up.
Este libro al inicio puede llegar a sentirse como una colección de historias cortas más que una novela, pero mientras más avanzas más se va enlazando todo, y al final terminé disfrutando mucho como la autora decidió narrar la historia. Creo que el hecho de haber tenido tantos puntos de vista, algunos completamente alejados del anterior, ayudó a tener una visión mucho más clara de la historia, además de que se disfrutó leer tantas experiencias distintas de la masacre.
Me sorprendió mucho encontrar una profundidad emocional y temática en la novela. No porque no creía que la autora fuera capaz de ello, pero porque creí que una historia como esta no iría en esa dirección. ¿Y saben qué? Creo que eso fue mi aspecto favorito de la novela. Agregó demasiadas capaz al lore, y lo convirtió de una masacre en un parque de diversiones a algo mucho más grande. La autora salpicó un poco de sus opiniones respecto a la sociedad coreana, en el ámbito social y laboral, que me parecieron higlights dentro de la lectura.
Algo que me faltó es que tal vez me habría gustado que la historia se comprometiera más con sus propios elementos de terror. Más allá de lo que sabemos desde el primer capítulo no hay mucha más expansión en el rollo de la masacre, de los cuerpos volviéndose gelatina, en el gore y en la violencia demoniaca que envolvia el parque. Había mucho más que explorar y me hubiera gustado más de eso. Llego un punto donde esto se volvió más como un "hecho" que algo presente en la historia, no se si me explico.
Ojalá se sigan traduciendo trabajos de esta autora.
Lo admito, lo leí por la portada. Pero con esa trama es dificil de resistirse. ¿El diablo ha creado una masacre en un parque de diversiones en corea, básicamente en Lotte World, donde la gente se derritió y convirtió en gelatina? Sign me up.
Este libro al inicio puede llegar a sentirse como una colección de historias cortas más que una novela, pero mientras más avanzas más se va enlazando todo, y al final terminé disfrutando mucho como la autora decidió narrar la historia. Creo que el hecho de haber tenido tantos puntos de vista, algunos completamente alejados del anterior, ayudó a tener una visión mucho más clara de la historia, además de que se disfrutó leer tantas experiencias distintas de la masacre.
Me sorprendió mucho encontrar una profundidad emocional y temática en la novela. No porque no creía que la autora fuera capaz de ello, pero porque creí que una historia como esta no iría en esa dirección. ¿Y saben qué? Creo que eso fue mi aspecto favorito de la novela. Agregó demasiadas capaz al lore, y lo convirtió de una masacre en un parque de diversiones a algo mucho más grande. La autora salpicó un poco de sus opiniones respecto a la sociedad coreana, en el ámbito social y laboral, que me parecieron higlights dentro de la lectura.
Algo que me faltó es que tal vez me habría gustado que la historia se comprometiera más con sus propios elementos de terror. Más allá de lo que sabemos desde el primer capítulo no hay mucha más expansión en el rollo de la masacre, de los cuerpos volviéndose gelatina, en el gore y en la violencia demoniaca que envolvia el parque. Había mucho más que explorar y me hubiera gustado más de eso. Llego un punto donde esto se volvió más como un "hecho" que algo presente en la historia, no se si me explico.
Ojalá se sigan traduciendo trabajos de esta autora.
September 23, 2026
THE NEW SEOUL PARK JELLY MASSACRE has to be one of the most original concepts I've encountered, and reads like a cross between FANTASTICLAND and The Stuff (1985). With a huge ensemble cast built up of many POVs, we, the readers, learn over a series of vignettes how a jelly salesman of the devil ended up at a theme park on a hot summer's day, turning people into jelly.
Cho yeeun does an amazing job at getting into unlikable people's heads and still making them feel complete, compelling, and interesting. That intimate character portrait style of narrating is what sucked me into the beginning. There's a lot of characters and some of them are more compelling than others, but I don't think I'll ever forget the body horror of the jelly. I'll definitely be checking out the author's other works, which seem just as surreal and bizarre.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy!
3 stars
Cho yeeun does an amazing job at getting into unlikable people's heads and still making them feel complete, compelling, and interesting. That intimate character portrait style of narrating is what sucked me into the beginning. There's a lot of characters and some of them are more compelling than others, but I don't think I'll ever forget the body horror of the jelly. I'll definitely be checking out the author's other works, which seem just as surreal and bizarre.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy!
3 stars
July 30, 2022
Absolutely amazing surrealist horror. Like a fever dream set in a theme park. At first I was unsure of the format with the little stories stuck together but it worked really well. The writing indices just enough creepiness and dread to give the reader a sickening feeling. Unsettling.
May 26, 2024
3.5 stars. A strange and surreal theme park nightmare with a lot of jelly. This book is less a novel and more a collection of stories and vignettes of people who are at a theme park one day when a strange man starts handing out free jelly, only for this to end in the most weird apocalyptic saga of murderous jelly and people going absolutely crazy.
I think if this was more of a cohesive novel that went from a to b I would have liked it a lot more. However I do think the structure worked really well and I liked how a lot of the characters were explored in multiple stories and there was an attempt to really tie up all the loose ends.
I can’t say I full understood everything that happened in this book because it’s absolutely wild but I loved some of the imagery in it and I think it’s such a fun and unique idea. The structure is really brilliant and I think it took such a talent to put the book together. I know the entire book is about jelly but I really didn’t expect there to be so much jelly…
Would recommend if you want something quirky, weird and unique.
I think if this was more of a cohesive novel that went from a to b I would have liked it a lot more. However I do think the structure worked really well and I liked how a lot of the characters were explored in multiple stories and there was an attempt to really tie up all the loose ends.
I can’t say I full understood everything that happened in this book because it’s absolutely wild but I loved some of the imagery in it and I think it’s such a fun and unique idea. The structure is really brilliant and I think it took such a talent to put the book together. I know the entire book is about jelly but I really didn’t expect there to be so much jelly…
Would recommend if you want something quirky, weird and unique.
2027
September 28, 2026Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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January 25, 2025
This was a ride for sure. All the characters connected to each other so seamlessly. And then the epilogue. Oh my. My mind was blown and also had some good whiplash.
January 17, 2024
3.5/3.75? Nie byłam przekonana, co do wszystkich rozwiązań fabularnych i mimo że wątek satanistycznego kultu był dla mnie najciekawszy (duuuh) to jednak zabrakło mi wypośrodkowania między innymi historiami, które dostawały tylko po 15-20 stron. However, bardzo lubię książki ze zmieniającym się POV z tych samych wydarzeń i szanuję sam proces powstawania tego tytułu
July 7, 2024
So wonderfully weird and I loved every word of it.
August 22, 2024
Wtf did I just read
October 2, 2026
4.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC!!
This was a super fun horror involving a gooey jelly substance that coats everything in an amusement park. We go through multiple different POVs of the catastrophe, from a lost child to theme park attendants to the inventor of the jelly, even an abandoned cat that has been at the theme park long before it happened. I highly recommend for anyone who liked Killer Clowns in Outer Space, it has that same type of humor and weird & dramatic death scenes.
Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC!!
This was a super fun horror involving a gooey jelly substance that coats everything in an amusement park. We go through multiple different POVs of the catastrophe, from a lost child to theme park attendants to the inventor of the jelly, even an abandoned cat that has been at the theme park long before it happened. I highly recommend for anyone who liked Killer Clowns in Outer Space, it has that same type of humor and weird & dramatic death scenes.
June 14, 2024
The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre - what an excellent title, what an excellent cover; unfortunately that’s where the praise seems to end with this one. I’ve been desperate to read this since I saw the cover and heard of it coming out, but I just really don’t think this is a good book. It started off with a lot of promise, a strange character loitering round a theme park, tempting children and adults into trying his packets of jelly. When things start to go weirdly and horrifically wrong, the man handing out jelly doesn’t seem to be so innocent. After the first third of the book, things become annoyingly repetitive then just completely go off of the rails. After reading the Last House on Needless Street, I never wanted to read a chapter from the perspective of a cat again - yet here we are. I hate chapters written from the perspective of sentient cats! The storyline totally loses its way, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the translation, I was left confused about so many things and I still don’t feel like I have answers as to what the jelly was all about? I liked the visceral descriptions of what physically happened to the people at the theme park after eating the jelly, but that’s honestly where my enjoyment ended. 2/5 stars ⭐️⭐️
November 13, 2025
This book is a real surprise! It's fun, sweet, weird, and horrible.
I was immediately drawn into the story and the lives of all the characters. They are linked by a very tenuous thread, and I even wondered if I wasn't reading a series of short stories. And it all works, it's really great!
The horror lies in the very gentle tone used to describe certain scenes. It's dichotomous, but it works too.
Finally, the ending of the story is essential. It shows how much the fear of loneliness can drive us to do crazy things.
I was immediately drawn into the story and the lives of all the characters. They are linked by a very tenuous thread, and I even wondered if I wasn't reading a series of short stories. And it all works, it's really great!
The horror lies in the very gentle tone used to describe certain scenes. It's dichotomous, but it works too.
Finally, the ending of the story is essential. It shows how much the fear of loneliness can drive us to do crazy things.
May 8, 2025
It is a wonderful example of what I call the soft weird fiction. It is weird but not to the extent when it freaks unprepared people out. What I think the best is to dive in the book right in and don't read the description. That's what I've done, and it was a great experience.
Told through multiple perspectives, the story revolves around one single day that changed the lives of so many people forever. Those people's fates are all intertwined, and it was fun to see the connections. At first, I thought the word "massacre" a bit too extreme, but everyone fight their own fights, including that inside their head, so at the end the title felt justified.
Told through multiple perspectives, the story revolves around one single day that changed the lives of so many people forever. Those people's fates are all intertwined, and it was fun to see the connections. At first, I thought the word "massacre" a bit too extreme, but everyone fight their own fights, including that inside their head, so at the end the title felt justified.
June 18, 2024
this was so trippy. but I very much enjoyed the horror. there's social commentary here: unhappy marriages, gender roles (especially female perspectives), people's liability to cults, social isolation, poverty, just to name a few that I recognized. I enjoyed Yu Hyeongyeong's story the most because her (social) issues were so relatable (not the Satanistic parts -coughs-). if I wanted to get to know to a character more, it's her and probably Sajun's I enjoyed the weird and the bizarre so I enjoyed reading this a lot.
January 22, 2025
"This jelly will keep you from ever breaking up. It's magic jelly. You'll be inseparable for the rest of your life, I promise."
[3.75 stars] This was such a fun whimsical ride. The New Seoul Park represents a place that is almost surreal, with crowds bustling and cheering over thrilling rides and funny characters. But when you zoom in on each individual, a lot of them have worries from their personal lives that the theme park can't even wash away for a second: from Yuji with her fighting parents, Jua with her mom who tries her best with a budget, a lonely cat, CEO Hyeongyeong in a strange cult, and a hardworking employee, Sajun, at the park who hyper fixates on every cent he earns. And the dreamy theme park where escapism is the main appeal for everyone, turns out to be a sticky nightmare.
The book follows a couple of people's perspectives as well as a cat, making it like a short story collection. What everyone has in common is the feeling of discontentment, or the lack of fulfillment in life, whether that has to do with romantic relationships, family, and/or work. The theme park is supposed to be at least a temporary solution that unites people together — and it does, but in an unexpected way that lends itself to permanence. The jelly, seemingly a refreshing and sweet snack is a deceptive vehicle that shows that there isn't a shortcut in life that instantly solves your problems. At the same time, the decisiveness of consuming a jelly, once you know the outcome of it, might provide people with some relief that, like the cat says: "It's all right. It's all going to end one day."
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, while certain stories might feel a bit same-ish, the part with the CEO and the cat really tied things together. The bizarre and surreal aspect particularly kicks in the second half of the book, where devil worshipping and the perspective of a Jelly enters the narrative; the end indeed feels like everyone "dance[s] with the devil." It ends up being a much more heartfelt book than expected, and for people who aren't usually into body horror, this one is quite "mild."
[3.75 stars] This was such a fun whimsical ride. The New Seoul Park represents a place that is almost surreal, with crowds bustling and cheering over thrilling rides and funny characters. But when you zoom in on each individual, a lot of them have worries from their personal lives that the theme park can't even wash away for a second: from Yuji with her fighting parents, Jua with her mom who tries her best with a budget, a lonely cat, CEO Hyeongyeong in a strange cult, and a hardworking employee, Sajun, at the park who hyper fixates on every cent he earns. And the dreamy theme park where escapism is the main appeal for everyone, turns out to be a sticky nightmare.
The book follows a couple of people's perspectives as well as a cat, making it like a short story collection. What everyone has in common is the feeling of discontentment, or the lack of fulfillment in life, whether that has to do with romantic relationships, family, and/or work. The theme park is supposed to be at least a temporary solution that unites people together — and it does, but in an unexpected way that lends itself to permanence. The jelly, seemingly a refreshing and sweet snack is a deceptive vehicle that shows that there isn't a shortcut in life that instantly solves your problems. At the same time, the decisiveness of consuming a jelly, once you know the outcome of it, might provide people with some relief that, like the cat says: "It's all right. It's all going to end one day."
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, while certain stories might feel a bit same-ish, the part with the CEO and the cat really tied things together. The bizarre and surreal aspect particularly kicks in the second half of the book, where devil worshipping and the perspective of a Jelly enters the narrative; the end indeed feels like everyone "dance[s] with the devil." It ends up being a much more heartfelt book than expected, and for people who aren't usually into body horror, this one is quite "mild."
October 13, 2025
Horror told in the form of a fever dream.
This was a super unique concept that contained some interesting commentary. It’s told from multiple POVs which all interconnect around a central event, ranging from a powerful CEO all the way to the theme park cat. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of so many POVs and felt some were better than others, but I still enjoyed the story overall.
This was a super unique concept that contained some interesting commentary. It’s told from multiple POVs which all interconnect around a central event, ranging from a powerful CEO all the way to the theme park cat. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of so many POVs and felt some were better than others, but I still enjoyed the story overall.
October 3, 2026
Read for the Korean Literature Book Club - October 2026.
June 27, 2025
I like the weirdness. I like the strange undertones. I like the pacing. I like my bizarre interpretation. I like aeroplane jelly.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.25/5
This review is for the upcoming US English language edition.
This was delightful! Inventive and compulsively readable, I sailed through it in one afternoon. Each chapter being from the point of view of a different character (for the most part) kept the narrative interesting. The carnage was absurd and almost... cute at times? It definitely made me happy that I avoid eating sugar, LOL.
I thought that the writing was excellent at the beginning - very cohesive - and hearing about the same day from multiple perspectives was definitely a feature not a bug. I loved how the chapters interlocked and we ran into characters from previous chapters, learning more about their stories.
Where the book began to lose me is after some of the bigger reveals, which didn't really make much sense. I can't go into it because of spoilers, but I could not for the life of me figure out why [the villain] would have anything to do with [something happening] or want [what happened after that something] to happen. There was no motivation made clear. I also think humans have more of a survival instinct than some characters' actions reflect. But it was still a really fun ride!
I see that Cho Yeeun has other books out there, which I am adding to my TBR for when the 'horror mixed with whimsy' mood strikes again. Recommended!
Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit Books for providing this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
#TheNewSeoulParkJellyMassacre #NetGalley
This review is for the upcoming US English language edition.
This was delightful! Inventive and compulsively readable, I sailed through it in one afternoon. Each chapter being from the point of view of a different character (for the most part) kept the narrative interesting. The carnage was absurd and almost... cute at times? It definitely made me happy that I avoid eating sugar, LOL.
I thought that the writing was excellent at the beginning - very cohesive - and hearing about the same day from multiple perspectives was definitely a feature not a bug. I loved how the chapters interlocked and we ran into characters from previous chapters, learning more about their stories.
Where the book began to lose me is after some of the bigger reveals, which didn't really make much sense. I can't go into it because of spoilers, but I could not for the life of me figure out why [the villain] would have anything to do with [something happening] or want [what happened after that something] to happen. There was no motivation made clear. I also think humans have more of a survival instinct than some characters' actions reflect. But it was still a really fun ride!
I see that Cho Yeeun has other books out there, which I am adding to my TBR for when the 'horror mixed with whimsy' mood strikes again. Recommended!
Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit Books for providing this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
#TheNewSeoulParkJellyMassacre #NetGalley
July 22, 2024
This is a satire of Korean life masquerading as a completely over the top horror story similar to what Grady Hendrix does for middle America.
It begins with on an exceptionally hot day in a Seoul summer when a young girl, Yuji, is taken to the city’s leading theme park by her bickering parents. She loses them and gets approached by a strange man who offers her jelly sweets.
At the lost children centre she befriends another young girl, and as a friendly gesture adds one of the sweets to the other child’s smoothie, she herself, having not eaten any.
That gesture however turns to disaster as her newly adopted friend turns slowly and painfully to jelly.
In just a short space of time, fun-seekers throughout the park begin to melt and turn to jelly.
Cho Yeeun writes the paragraphs of horror particularly well, with dark humour the underlying feature.
I always enjoy reading speculative horror, pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the genre. This has its faults, and does seem a bit ridiculous at times, but overall was entertaining.
It begins with on an exceptionally hot day in a Seoul summer when a young girl, Yuji, is taken to the city’s leading theme park by her bickering parents. She loses them and gets approached by a strange man who offers her jelly sweets.
At the lost children centre she befriends another young girl, and as a friendly gesture adds one of the sweets to the other child’s smoothie, she herself, having not eaten any.
That gesture however turns to disaster as her newly adopted friend turns slowly and painfully to jelly.
In just a short space of time, fun-seekers throughout the park begin to melt and turn to jelly.
Cho Yeeun writes the paragraphs of horror particularly well, with dark humour the underlying feature.
I always enjoy reading speculative horror, pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the genre. This has its faults, and does seem a bit ridiculous at times, but overall was entertaining.
October 19, 2026
El primero capítulo me pareció super interesante, raro, oscuro, perturbador, entendí muy bien a nuestra pobre niña. Pero el resto de capítulos los sentí como demasiado relleno, en sí, cada capítulo es de un personaje que aparece en las otras historias como extras, el mismo día, explicado de formas distintas. ¿Cómo han llegado a esa situación? ¿A ese parque maldito?
Algunas historias me parecían muy curiosas otras eran un poco bastante bah... por eso no sabía que puntuación poner porque eran tan distintas y a la vez tan parecidas...
En fin, jamás nadie será capaz de hacer que no me gusten las gominolas por muy desechas que se vuelvan.
Algunas historias me parecían muy curiosas otras eran un poco bastante bah... por eso no sabía que puntuación poner porque eran tan distintas y a la vez tan parecidas...
En fin, jamás nadie será capaz de hacer que no me gusten las gominolas por muy desechas que se vuelvan.
July 11, 2024
⇝ 3.5 stars
March 10, 2025
I enjoyed the absurdity of the concept and the multiple pov. I didn’t find the ending very satisfying but I think that’s ok it was left unanswered and uncertain.
October 12, 2026
Body horror suave donde lo más importante son las sensaciones que transmite. Es un relato que ha crecido hasta convertirse en novela y en ocasiones las pequeñas historias que la conforman superan a la original. El conjunto es bastante sólido, aunque sin duda no gustará a todos los paladares por el exceso de azúcar.
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