Get in, reader, we’re going shopping! Even though it was 1862 when Christina Rossetti’s narrative poem Goblin Market was published, its influence still resonates today. In the poem, Laura and Lizzie are very close sisters, but they differ in their feelings toward the local market. One day, Laura purchases fruit from the market, and eating it makes her delirious and delighted. But her sister reminds her about the dangers of the fruit and about a girl who died after eating fruit from the goblin market.
The poem has been interpreted in many ways: as a tale of temptation referencing Adam and Eve, an expression of Rossetti’s queer and feminist politics, a warning of the dangers of capitalism or addiction, an exploration of sexuality, and more.
Whatever the interpretation, there has been no shortage of “buyer, beware” novels about the dangers of shopping, some literally set in goblin markets. Here are five fun books about such retail adventures. (Retale adventures?)
 Not Good For Maidens by Tori BovalinoUp first is an excellent queer dark fantasy! For centuries, the Wickett witches have treated victims of the Goblin Market tucked beneath their city’s streets. But even the Wicketts were not immune to the market’s charms, losing May for a time to its siren’s call. Years later, her niece, Lou, will have to join her aunt in saving another of the Wicketts after she is kidnapped and brought to the market. But can they resist its temptations? |
 A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip GaleyThis queer debut fantasy is set in a 19th-century London market, where a young man must decide if saving his own life is worth destroying the life of another. Deri was sold into indentured servitude to the market’s sellers when he was young. Years later, he discovers a way to buy his freedom when a missing princess offers to sell her royal destiny. Accepting it could help Deri achieve all his plans and dreams, but it could also bring chaos down upon their world. |
 Wintersong by S. Jae-JonesIt’s only forever, not long at all… Up next is a YA retelling of a mix of Labyrinth (but without the purple leggings) and Beauty and the Beast. It’s about a young woman looking to save her sister from the Goblin King. When Liesl’s younger sister Käthe eats magical fruit at the Goblin Market, she falls under the spell of the feared and mysterious Goblin King. To save her, Liesl must travel to the Underground to get her back. |
 In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuireWhile this novella is a part of the Wayward Children series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Before Lundy wound up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, she found a doorway that led to the Goblin Market. While Lundy has always been a serious, clever, and rational child, that may not be enough to help her make the bargains she needs to survive. |
 The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin JungAnd finally, this is about a fantastical market that doesn’t capture people with fruit, but instead helps them decide what they want from their lives. The Rainfall Market is invite-only, where shoppers walk around and try to decide what their perfect life will look like. Lovely, right? But there’s a catch: if they can’t decide after a week, they will be trapped inside the market for the rest of their days. (And I thought the Nickelodeon Super Toy Run seemed like a lot of pressure.) |
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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