Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Okay, yeah, our poor library has been neglected for the longest it’s ever been! And we’ve missed you too, dear patrons! But we’re here to pop our heads through the door and at least say a quick hi!
To do that, we’re back today after our unplanned hiatus to share an acquisition from back in January that finally made it off our TBR list… Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, with illustrations by Haylee Morice, interior design by Fritz Metsch, jacket design by Regina Flath, and… get this… origami design and instructions by Nick Robinson.
The cover of Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao featuring illustration by Haylee Morice.
In addition to being a fantastic and mysterious fantasy read – the official blurb is “A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop — Water Moon is another brilliant example of book as object.
In keeping with the theme of the coming together of two worlds, and two people, the dust jacket is designed to be an origami project. In its original form, the artwork on the back depicts two people on opposite edges of the jacket, each in their separate world, the “real” world of Tokyo for physicist Keishin and the clouds for pawnshop owner Hana. Even on its own as is, it is a beautiful piece of artwork.
Artwork by Haylee Morice on the inside of the dust jacket.
But open up the book and the endpapers include instructions for turning the dust jacket into an origami paper boat…
Origami design and instructions by Nick Robinson.
And brilliantly, the folding of the dust jacket brings the two characters, separate at the beginning, together in the boat.
Admittedly, my folding (or possibly the markings on the dust jacket) might have been a little less than accurate, but the effect remains a magical one. Plus the original artwork from the dust jacket is replicated on the cover boards, minus the typography.
Now the debate is whether or not to acquire a second copy with the dust jacket intact, you know, for archival purposes…
In the meantime, I’ve added this book to my staff picks at Audreys Books as well featuring it on the Audreys “AI” Summer Read List! Highly recommend tracking down a copy for yourself!
Happy Reading!
— Winston
