And the River Drags Her Down, Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down, Jihyun Yun
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
Club: $13.75

And the River Drags Her Down

Author: Jihyun Yun

Narrator: Reese Grey

Unabridged: 13 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/07/2025


Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • She has always known the rules: Never resurrect anything larger than the palm of her hand. But that was before her sister died. . . .

“Yun beautifully captures the haunting of family myths in this slow-burn horror. Eerie and poignant, And The River Drags Her Down will sweep readers into its relentless current.” —Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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.

About The Author

Jihyun Yun is a Korean American writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who now resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the author of Some Are Always Hungry, a Prairie Schooner Prize winning poetry collection. A recipient of various fellowships and grants, she received her BA in Psychology from UC Davis and an MFA in poetry from New York University. And The River Drags Her Down is her debut novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on November 02, 2025

A lyrical, eerie dive into grief, sisterhood, and the dangerous magic of not letting go. I’ve read my fair share of YA horror and magical realism, but And the River Drags Her Down swept me into its depths in a way I didn’t expect. This isn’t your typical “raise the dead” tale. It’s tender, terrifying......more

Goodreads review by DianaRose on November 14, 2025

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc! this was a fantastic horror novel with mystery/thriller elements; at first, i didn’t feel that horror was an accurate genre for this book, but as i continued reading it dawned on me that women being pursued by men and then being killed by a man when she......more

Goodreads review by jenny reads a lot on November 05, 2025

A drowned sister, grief strong enough to use ancestral magic to resurrect her, and the hunger for revenge. Immaculate vibes and atmosphere its no surprise this author’s first book was a work of poetry. The prose is stunning and lyrical and feels heavy enough to transport you without ever weighing yo......more

Goodreads review by AndaReadsTooMuch on September 29, 2025

This is by far, hands down, one of the most beautiful, haunting, and heartbreaking books I have ever read. It’s a story of love, a story of loss, abandonment, and the refusal to let go, even when it’s poisoning you. (Also, new fear unlocked of Korean water spirits/ghosts. Thanks for that.) I really......more

Goodreads review by Denise on June 22, 2025

This was such a perfect contemporary YA. I don't quite know how to categorize it. It's very dark, it deals with realistic issues like grief and sisterhood, and there's a dash of romance. It's got some fantasy and mostly magical realism, with Korean-inspired magic and a Korean-American family running......more


Quotes

★ "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

"Yun’s intent to help readers live with grief is well-executed as she reminds readers of the importance of facing it."
School Library Journal

"The prose itself is brilliantly crafted and contributes heavily to how emotionally real the narrative feels without being overwrought. This is a nuanced, vibes-forward experience perfect for easing readers into more emotionally mature horror."
Booklist

“Yun beautifully captures the haunting of family myths in this slow-burn horror. Eerie and poignant, And the River Drags Her Down will sweep readers into its relentless current.”
—TRANG THANH TRAN, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

“A river-stained book about sisterhood, selfishness, and the human desire to be understood and loved . . . Heart-wrenchingly beautiful.” -- Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us and Compound Fracture

Dark, taut, and perpetually stunning . . . Yun’s mesmerizing debut crafts a disquieting tale of lonely creatures unraveling loss, and what it means to return to yourself.”
—WEN-YI LEE, author of The Dark We Know

Compelling. Darkly beautiful and haunting, this Gothic tale leads you on a captivating journey that will linger long after you’ve finished reading.”
—JOSH SILVER, author of HappyHead