There are writers who draw inspiration from history, mythology and cinema, like Axie Oh. The American author pays homage to the Land of the Morning Calm by updating a popular myth in her home country.
Axie Oh regularly sets the plot of her novels in Korea, however, this is the first time her universe has entered the literary genre of borderline fantasy fantasy. A fairy tale that immerses us in the depths of the seas, populated by millenary and mystical creatures, this new novel, Bride of the god of the seawill be published on May 4 by Lumen.
Bride of the god of the sea, what is it about?
In a small village by the sea, every year the prettiest girl is chosen to become the next bride of the sea god. Admired by all the villagers for her unparalleled beauty, this year it is Cheong Shim who is sacrificed.
But the young woman is in love with Joon and on the evening of the sacrifice it is Mina, the young man’s sister, who bursts into the scene! In a fit of recklessness, she takes Cheong Shim’s place at the bottom of the ocean, to save her heartbroken brother.
Transported to the Realm of Spirits, a magical city populated by gods, demons and mythical creatures… the brave girl will discover that the god of the sea has fallen into a deep sleep. Alongside the mysterious Shin, Mina will do anything to wake him up and save her kingdom. But she will only have a month to get there. If she fails, she risks being transformed into a spirit for all eternity.
The richness of a literary universe
Through a story that mixes a magical underwater world and an ancient Korean legend, Axie Oh plunges readers into the heart of a wonderful adventure reminiscent of the enchanting world of The enchanted city (2000).
Masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki, the animated feature film is one of the author’s inspirations, as my neighbor totoro (1998). Passionate about anime, but also about manga and children’s literature – which she studied at the University of Lesley in the United States – Axie Oh does not hesitate to draw on these sources.
However, the author’s references don’t stop there. Indeed, the writer who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, is also inspired by tales and mythological stories of her country of origin, Korea.
The story behind the novel
In his new book, published a year ago on the other side of the Atlantic, the author chose to modernize the tale of Cheong Shim, a myth known as The devoted girl. Originally, the story tells the life of Cheong, whose father, a blind and fallen nobleman, had to take care of him alone after his wife died in childbirth.
Her devotion is such that when she grows up, Cheong is determined to take care of her father in return and do everything in her power to restore his sight. The 17-year-old girl is determined to offer herself as a sacrifice to the Dragon King of the Sea.
Carried by sailors in the middle of the ocean, and secretly hoping that her sacrifice to the gods will finally cure her father, Cheong throws herself into the water. But this without counting on the Dragon King, who, struck and moved by her gesture, welcomes him into his aquatic realm.
Cheong starts a new life there; but she worried about the fate of her father, she can’t help but want to come out. Aided by the Dragon King who places it in a lotus leaf, he then returns to the world of humans.
His return causes surprise throughout the kingdom and amazes the emperor. Under the young woman’s spell, he decides to ask her to marry him. Cheong accepts this union, in the hope of being able to ask her husband for a favor: that of organizing a banquet in honor of the blind man to find his father.
Plunged into poverty and unaware of his daughter’s return, Cheong’s father goes to the festivities organized by the palace. The girl watches him in the crowd. The moment she sees him and calls her name, the old man immediately regains his sightsurprised to hear his daughter’s voice.
Reunited, the father and his daughter settled in the royal building, Cheong Shim, who became empress, vowed to share the imperial wealth with her people so that each member could lead a happy life.
Between fidelity and modernity
If the nod to Cheong Shim is evident in Bride of the god of the sea, it is precisely Mina who takes on the role of the original heroine of the story. In the Axie Oh rewrite, Mina and Cheong also share common traits: their determination to save those they love, as well as the commitment and fervor they show to help their people.
In addition, Axie Oh was able to perfectly describe the mysterious and magical universe of the sea god’s kingdom, inspired by the original story — also note its cover with traditional Korean influences imagined by Kuri Huang – the author immerses her readers in a fascinating world and makes it the starting point of an exciting adventure.
Evidence of breathed modernity Bride of the god of the sea from her writer, Mina is a heroine who takes her own destiny into her own hands. It is also she who must save God by saving herself.
The divinity, represented by a male figure, has no power; she even becomes impotent, forced to sleep. This trait differs greatly from the male characters evoked in the story, especially the Dragon King and the Emperor, with whom Cheong will have to join forces in order to hope to live happily and save his father.
Both feminist and gorgeous, to miss I could only recommend you warmly Bride of the god of the sea. Between homage to a Korean story and rewriting, Axie Oh offers it to us with this unpublished novel a whimsical, compelling story, but above all in the era of time.
With a good dose of adventure, mystery and romance, this book offers a brave female character and an exciting underwater world.
On the other side of the Atlantic, many readers have already plunged into the depths of the spirit world together with Mina, giving away Bride of the god of the seathe crowned best-selling title of the New York Times. And you, will you be tempted?
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
