Reading Diary: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, Translated by Shanna Tan

Here is a synopsis from the publisher's website:

Yeongju did everything she was supposed to, go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. Burned out, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop.


In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster, and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju - they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.

My friend Tatiana recommended this book. She likened it to a "hug in a book." I'm not a hugger, but I did find this book very comforting. With a caveat that my sample size is VERY small, one thing I've found in the few Korean and Japanese books that I've read or tried to read is that they are very character-driven narratives, in that there isn't a lot of action going on. Characters sit down and have conversations about the meaning of life. Like, this is the focus of the book. I'm sure this is just based on the type of books I ended up reading (Before the Coffee Gets Cold is one example), but I found this structure super boring. I didn't finish the books I started. This novel has the same setup. The "action" takes place primarily in the bookshop, with scenes in Yeongju's apartment or at Goat Beans, the roasters from whom Yeongju gets her coffee. Scene after scene of people talking about the meaning of life. It's just not something I prefer. However, since my friend recommended this book, I stuck with it, and I found that the conversations that the characters were having in the book were conversations about things I needed to hear right now. It certainly is a change from all the Protagonist vs An Empire books that I've been reading lately. 😂

Anyway, if you're in the mood for a quiet story while you contemplate what it means to pursue a meaningful life, you'll probably like this novel.