Set in the leafy suburbs of Seoul, South Korea, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is the entrancing story of a young woman's curious decision to walk away from the trappings of her outwardly successful life and pursue her dream of opening a bookstore. 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?
When Yeongju's feelings of suffocation and bewilderment at the meaningless of her life become too much to bear, she abandons her job and her husband to focus on the one thing that always bought her joy as a child: books. Clueless about running a business, she takes a desperate leap of faith and opens a bookshop and café in a quiet residential neighborhood without much foot traffic. Like a fragile sapling placed in unfamiliar soil, Yeongju's business takes root in the neighborhood and grows despite itself, nurtured by a community of regulars for whom the bookstore becomes their escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle exploration of how the hamster wheel of corporate ambition can grind down a person. Hwang's is a soothing narrative voice, her novel 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. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer