Reading Joyland Above is not unlike indulging in a hot pepper. Each bite, while inflicting fiery discomfort, invariably entices you back for more.
This rainy, earthquake-prone island, where even the location of a new garbage dump triggers a heated debate, is nevertheless deeply beloved by many, with those who leave often making excuses to return. What is it with this island? Joyland Above frankly shares with readers the many apocalyptic bogeymen that have visited this island…from epidemics and natural disasters to the devastation of war; from the death of a nation to self-obliteration. What on its face seems a bloody tragedy, is portrayed by the author as subtly ironic. The fairy-tale airs of this work craftily rework warnings of a doomed nation into a bedside story.
Considering our present-day reality, should Joyland Above be read as a prophetic warning of apocalyptic doom or a fairy tale in which, true to form, a happy ending awaits? Who can say?