11/20/2023
A bestseller in South Korea, Bo-Reum’s English-language debut is a tranquil if meandering slice of life. Yeongju leaves behind a high-pressure job to open a bookstore with a coffee bar in a residential neighborhood in Seoul. Though the store is her dream come true, she spends the first few months struggling to overcome her lingering anxiety, and slips into a reading slump. Once she comes out of her funk, she bonds with the people who find their way to the store. Among them are her barista Minjun, who’s obsessed with brewing the perfect cup, and Jimi, the coffee roaster who mentors him. Mincheol, an unmotivated student, gains a newfound interest in reading from Yeongju’s recommendations. As Yeongju continues opening up to others, she helpes promote the store by writing a book review column and running a seminar. Though some characters and relationships evolve, the novel is structured primarily as a series of vignettes (an interview with an author; a book club discussion). Despite the lack of a cohesive plot or linear character development, the prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore. (Feb.)
[This book] suggests that finding daily satisfaction is itself a serious job … Hwang explores how a person might choose to counter workism without rejecting work entirely, and how a meaningful life might be built by applying oneself to even the most pleasurable pastimes.” —The Atlantic
“A real love letter to reading . . . wonderful.” —Good Housekeeping
“I may have found my ideal bookshop book when I read Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop. What sets Hyunam-Dong apart is how much it reveals about getting a store up and running … By the end of Hyunam-Dong, [Yeongju] has encountered enough surprises to figure out that bookshops - and love - rarely go by the book.” —The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Hwang Bo-Reum's debut novel took South Korea by storm for its refreshing positivity and rejection of hypercapitalism . . . Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop was indeed a welcome break from the faster-paced and heavier books on my reading list-the perfect book to read while curled up in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday.” —Readers Digest, "41 Asian and Asian American Books Everyone Should Read"
“Already a run-away hit in its original Korean, this gentle, philosophical novel is a balm for book lovers, for the burnt-out, and for anyone seeking change or community. It reminded me of all the reasons bookstores are my favorite 'third-place' and also my favorite way to get to know a place.” —Powell's Books, February Pick of the Month
“This is a heartwarming story that everyone should read in their quiet moments.” —The New York Journal of Books
“A wonderfully cozy novel . . . It is wonderfully true-to-life and a very charming, intimate reading experience.” —Books & Bao, 24 Must-Read Korean Novels in English
“A story that embraces its sentimentality.” —The Observer
“Delightful, reflective and heart-warming . . . we challenge you not to fall in love with it.” —Woman's Weekly
“The book reads like a well-thought, free-flowing conversation … I absolutely loved Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. Something is life-affirming about the story and its characters that will stay with me, in my heart and thoughts. It is the kind of book that will feel new and exciting every time you read it.” —Fresh Fiction
“What is perhaps most surprising about Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is the way in which Hwang Bo-reum juxtaposes the coziness of a favorite bookstore with the creative and financial stress situated just below the surface. It's a warm read, to be sure, but it comes by that warmth honestly.” —Words Without Borders
“With its slice-of-life chapters and lovable cast of characters, Hwang Bo-reum's Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is the key to starting your healing journey … [It is] equal parts cute and thought-provoking, and who doesn't need some healing fiction in their life?” —The Honey Pop
“The book is a cup of hot tea on a rainy day … [It] is observational, approachable, and makes you feel as if you're reading an account of real people versus a wild book of fiction. It's clear the writer loves books, and as a fellow book lover, the book felt like coming home.” —Mochi Mag
“The prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore.” —Publishers Weekly
“A slice-of-life tale with appealing characters. Their stories explore aspects of Korean culture … the messages about happiness and not wasting time in unsuitable and meaningless endeavors are uplifting and provide a cozy read.” —BookPage
“Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community.” —Booklist
“Hwang Bo-reum's graceful, meditative debut novel, translated by Shanna Tan, introduces readers to an engaging cast of lost souls seeking answers to the central questions of their lives: What does it mean to live a contented life in a competitive culture? And can we achieve contentment if our decisions make others unhappy? … A meditation on bookstores and the communities they foster, as well as an aspirational story of finding purpose when you think you might be ready to give up.” —Shelf Awareness
“A snapshot of life in a quiet corner of Seoul examines how reading can help give voice to emotions, worries, and dreams.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[This] debut novel is a comfortable book about books … Bound to be a book club favorite.” —Library Journal
“Ever have a dream where you chuck your life and start over as the owner of a small bookstore? Of course you have. Live out that fantasy with this hit Korean novel available in English for the first time. This will be great when you really need a feel-good read.” —Goodreads Editors
“Via her thoughts on literature, Yeongju gives voice to the author's message about the redemptive power of reading. Yeongju's definition of a good book could be a description of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop itself: '[L]iterary novels with social commentary . . . When authors delve deep into their understanding of life to touch the hearts of readers, helping them to navigate life, isn't that what a good book should be?'” —Washington Independent Review of Books
“This buoyant, charming novel celebrates books as a source of growth and connection, and as a gentle antidote to the pressures of modern life. Hwang Bo-reum has created a quirky comfort read that invites readers into the heart of this sweet bookstore . . . a delightful place to be!” —Matthew Sullivan, author of MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE
01/19/2024
DEBUT Bo-reum's debut novel is a comfortable book about books. Yeongju flees her corporate job, her family, and her friends to open a bookstore. She spends months—a few pages in this novel—hiding out in her new shop, making customers worry about this sad bookseller instead of purchasing books. Librarians and booksellers will identify with the bookshop's journey from full shelves and no customers to becoming a warm heart of the community. Much of the earlier half of Hwang's novel follows Yeongju's attempts to increase traffic to her shop by creating a social media presence, scheduling enticing programs, and building a café space. As Yeongju's community begins to grow, new characters are fleshed out over several chapters before gaining their own POV segments. Here readers learn that the story is really about people finding their paths in life, as Hwang's haracters learn to appreciate their own needs and desires and to seek happiness, even though it isn't guaranteed. This is portrayed in abrupt sentences peppered with Korean romanizations and British slang. VERDICT Bound to be a book club favorite.—Matthew Galloway
2023-11-18
A former high-flying corporate employee quits her job, leaves her marriage, and opens a neighborhood bookstore and cafe outside Seoul.
Yeongju doesn’t know how to run a bookstore, but she feels compelled to answer her internal call to do just that, trying to find solace in books as she did as a child. As she works to rediscover herself through reading, she collects friends, regulars, and co-workers who also take comfort in the gentle routines of the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, named for the neighborhood in which it’s located. There’s Mincheol, a high school student who becomes a staple at the bookstore, and his mother, who stops in daily for coffee and a chat. Jungsuh often sits for hours in the cafe, seemingly doing nothing, before she finally starts crocheting and then knitting. Jimi, who runs Goat Beans, the roastery from which Yeongju sources the coffee beans for her cafe, becomes a close friend. Minjun, who’s been drifting ever since college, trying unsuccessfully to find a permanent job and feeling uncertain about whether his routine of yoga, work, movies, and sleep is enough, becomes the bookstore’s barista and first full-time, well-paid (Yeongju insists) employee. Seungwoo is a corporate worker whose online hobby dissecting the written word morphs into a book deal and subsequent seminar series. The book follows Yeongju’s efforts to expand the bookshop to make it profitable, and her search for meaning and value in her efforts. Together, Yeongju and her friends and colleagues spend much time discussing the meaning of life, whether or not work has value, and the aftereffects of burnout.
A snapshot of life in a quiet corner of Seoul examines how reading can help give voice to emotions, worries, and dreams.
