In this age of late-stage capitalism, hustle culture, and endless social media, even our books and stories seem to have been infected with cynicism and disillusionment. While there is certainly a place for such gritty depictions of the human condition, sometimes, all you want is a warm hug and someone to tell you that everything is going to be okay. If you’re in the mood for a book that feeds your soul, I highly recommend “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.”
Written by Hwang Bo-reum, the Korean bestseller “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop” is a warm, slice-of-life story that follows independent bookstore owner Yeongju and the people who are drawn to her shop. Yeongju is a burned-out corporate worker who abandons her old life and opens up a bookshop in the quaint neighborhood of Hyunam-dong in Seoul. She checked all the expected boxes: went to a good school, had an enviable career, and married a good man. Her life seemed picture-perfect, and still, her life fell apart.
In the wake of this personal crisis, Yeongju follows her childhood dream of opening a bookshop. She slowly heals and draws in fellow lonely people who need the comfort and refuge offered by her little store and the books inside. From the solitary barista, the confused neighborhood teenager and his bewildered mother, the unhappily married coffee roaster, the polite knitter, to the writer who is captivated by Yeongju — they form a supportive community of folks who are trying to figure out what makes a happy life.
“Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop” is a Delight
The book is a cup of hot tea on a rainy day.
Despite discussing complex ideas, the lighthearted and whimsical prose makes the subject matter and the characters palatable. While it could be tedious to repeatedly explore the nature of and the resistance to work; the decision to do something you’re good at or to do something you love; the problems of loneliness, isolation, and the pursual of dreams — or even not…
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