Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (translated by Shanna Tan)
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I took my time reading this magical little story. A quiet, gentle story filled with wisdom that left me feeling inspired. Full of character and soul, this is a story that speaks to the heart.
…she learnt to listen to her body, her feelings, and be in happy places. She would ask herself these questions: does this place make me feel positive? Can I be truly whole and uncompromisingly myself? Do I love and treasure myself here? For Yeongju, the bookshop checked all the boxes.
Yeongju left behind everything, her family, her job and all the expectations that others had on how she should lead her life. Burnt out and feeling lost she decides to listen to her heart and follow her dream to open a bookshop. She chooses an area in the city that she doesn’t know and so begins a new life. A life of her choosing. She returns to books as a source of comfort and escape. Yet by escaping within the pages of the books she finally begins to find herself again and perhaps even a path to happiness. Not only does she build a business but she also builds a community. A safe space for troubled souls who gravitate towards the bookshop where they can also find the answers to their own problems too.
This is Hwang’s first novel and has sold over 150,000 copies in it’s native Korea according to Bloomsbury publishing. She studied Computer Science before working as a software engineer and then became a writer publishing essays prior to this work of fiction. The book is incredibly heartfelt and you can see how much reading means to Hwang. It is a book for book lovers and even for those who aren’t quite there yet. As a Librarian I am there, I know the power of books and reading. The joy and comfort it can bring as well as knowledge. We readers look at the world in a different way. We gain a deeper understanding and, I believe, live richer and better lives through the simple action of reading a book.
Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is full of gentle wisdom. It is easy to be swept along by life but this story reminded me that to be mindful of where we are at any given moment, rather than always being two steps ahead in our head, can help us live better and more fulfilled lives. So often we are always more concerned about the end result or being a success that we forget to enjoy the journey as we go.
‘Just try something out, and who knows, you might find joy in it. It might be something you stumble upon but end up wanting to do for life. Who knows? Nobody knows what’ll happen unless you try. Instead of agonising over what you should do, think about putting effort into whatever you’re doing. It’s more important to try your best in whatever you do, no matter how small it may seem. All your effort will add up to something…Don’t decide the future before it happens.’
This is a book about a bookshop, it’s community but most importantly, it is a book about how to find some form of peace within an ever challenging and toxic world. There are so many messages within the story itself, so many gentle reminders of how to nurture our heart and soul. For when we find some peace within ourselves perhaps we are more able to to bring peace and kindness to the world around us.
In the author’s note at the end of the book, Hwang shares that she only had three things in mind when she opened up a fresh document on her computer and began writing. ‘Everything else fell in to place as the novel progressed. Whenever a new character stepped in, I gave them a name and fleshed out their personality. If I had no idea what came next, I’d get the new character to chat with the older ones, and somehow, they seemed to guide the story and the next scene would come naturally to me.’ This book is all about the characters and the place in which they meet - the bookshop. They are alive and living, I can see Minjun making coffee behind the counter, Jimi tasting his creations to see what magic he can pull from her freshly roasted coffee beans. Seungwoo is sitting with papers in front of him, crossing lines through and adding notes in the margins. Jungsuh sits and knits and Yeongju is carefully considering which books she should add to the bookshop’s shelves. They are there in my minds eye along with all the other wonderful characters within the story. It was a joy to read. Gentle and heart warming, I do not hesitate to recommend it.
Blurb at the back…
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 highflying 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 see 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.
Want to know more? Why not visit the publisher’s website here or watch the following Author Talk on YouTube: The Korea Society - Author Talk
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Happy reading!