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“Korean language, food, and culture enrich this winning story of sisterhood, self-reflection, and moving on…A beautifully written, grief-filled tale that’s equal parts creepy and heart-wrenching.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Lyrical prose renders meaningful, tear-jerking sequences and propulsive horror alongside frank examinations of the cycles of generational trauma.”

—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“The prose has a gut-punching clarity, calibrated with precision and elegance to deliver a deeply felt meditation on the desperate things people do to keep grief at bay, holding dearly onto what they know must go.”

—The Bulletin, Starred Review

And the River Drags Her Down

Written by Jihyun Yun
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry . . .

Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge.

When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn’t the one she knew.

Primary ISBN: 9780593904879
Publication Date: October 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented:

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Setting: United States (California)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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