Magic realism is a more difficult genre to do well than you might realize. Authors need to balance the mundane with the magical, building a recognizable world but with small pieces of wonder that, ideally, make us look for the magic in our own lives – the handsome drowned man who transforms a town, the books that follow you with messages you need to read green hair that runs in families, or anonymous letters that might lead to happiness. Hyeon A Cho’s Your Letter is a beautiful example of the genre, reminiscent of the animated Korean film My Beautiful Girl Mari in its quiet execution, bringing us the story of three middle schoolers who need a little magic in their lives.
The story follows Sori Lee, a middle school student who one day has had enough of the bullies in her class. In her words, Sori decides to stop being a bystander and tells the bullies to cut it out, which instead turns their wrath on her. The situation quickly becomes untenable, and Sori transfers in the middle of the year, leaving her exclusive private school for a public one. Even though the bullying hasn’t been going on for too long, it’s more than long enough to make its mark on her, and she enters her new school afraid of her peers. Every word they say sounds cruel to her, even if that’s not the intention, and Sori isolates herself as a means of protection.
All of that changes, however, when she discovers a letter taped to the underside of her desk. It’s a welcome note with a map of the school, information on all her new classmates, and instructions on how to find a second letter squirreled away in the school library. From this second note, she learns that the writer is someone named Hoyeon Jung, and he gives her a clue to where a third letter can be found, with more information about the school. Sori follows his instructions, eventually meeting Sooni Kim, the school security officer, and a boy named Dongsoon Park.
Sooni is—a witch, according to school lore—opening the door for actual magic to enter the story. It’s never been far from the surface – even when spells and teas weren’t part of the plot, Cho’s art is redolent with hidden magic: fireflies that guide people, vistas that seem more than just pretty, and of course, the letters themselves. It almost feels reassuring to discover that Sooni can use magic, like a confirmation rather than a gimmick. Part of Sori’s problem has been feeling out of place, like she accidentally cursed herself by speaking up when middle school social law says she shouldn’t have and seeing someone make a lantern of the fireflies or use tea to remove the moisture from a piece of wet paper gently forces her to see that not everything is terrible. There’s still wonder in the world, something she’s lost sight of when she reaches her new school.
There’s something emotionally honest about her need to discover this and her belief that everything is over after the bullies turn on her. Middle school can be vicious, and transferring midyear, even as a way to escape a bad situation, can still feel like a punishment. If, like me, you’ve been in Sori’s situation, there’s immense catharsis in seeing her turn things around and in knowing there are people who can help her. It does feel like magic to find a secret place most people pass by or to find that one adult who will take you seriously. Hoyeon is a catalyst for Sori’s growth, but he’s not the reason; ultimately, it is Sori herself who must follow the letters, bond with Dongsoon, and trust Sooni. By the time she realizes that she did do the right thing for the bullied girl at her first school, it’s because she’s learned to like herself more. The outside forces are confirmation, not cause.
Hoyeon and Dongsoon are foils to Sori in some ways, with Dongsoon— cruelly nicknamed Ding Dong by classmates—functioning as someone halfway through the journey Sori is embarking on. He’s hurt by Hoyeon’s disappearance and the fact that Sori is the recipient of the letters he left behind, but the two eventually work together to solve the riddles he left them. They’re stronger together, with Hoyeon as the person who completes their circle. The ending may be a little too neat, but it’s also clearly the finale the story needs. Middle school can be soul-crushing, and this is a story about finding a way out of that. Will it always be easy? No, of course not. But Your Letter is about learning the strength to keep going.
Drenched in shades of blue and highlighted with earth tones, Your Letter‘s deceptively simple art and story make it a beautiful book. It’s a hopeful story, replete with quiet magic and a terrible familiarity makes it stick with you.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
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