Diya on Korea

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan

The novel is a slow but moving story reflecting life and its philosophies. It centres around a 30-year-old woman named Yeongju. She has a good career and a husband but leaves it all behind as she feels the burnout and fatigue of life. Feeling lost, she recalls her happy childhood memories of reading and being surrounded by books and decides to follow her dream – to open a bookstore in a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul.

 As she begins to build her sense of identity and purpose in the pursuit of her dream, we meet the characters who come into her life along the way.  The book is filled with insights into the challenges and thoughts of living life.

Although character development is slow and there does not exist a strong sense of narrative drive, the author does give us glimpses in the ordinary and thoughtful details of life.

“Dissonance before moments of harmony, make the harmony sound beautiful. Just as harmony and dissonance exist side by side in music, life is the same. Because harmony is preceded by dissonance, that’s why we think life is beautiful.” [pg 104]

This quote is taken from the book where two characters are discussing what it means to live a life when you have acheived your dreams

References to well-known books are a plenty when the main character, Yeongju tries to answer her own personal question about what makes people walk away from their lives. She reads books to find out what it is that motivates people to start something completely anew.

“Tearing her eyes away from the pages, she ruminated on the women’s words: ‘Of all life has to offer, only love is indispensable.’ Was love the most important of thing in life? Did nothing else compare. Love is great, she thought, but indispensable? No, she didn’t agree. Just like how some thrive on love, it’s possible to live without it.” [Pg 20]

It is not just Yeongju who is looking to find meaning, but the lonely barista who is trying to succeed at life on his own terms and not live according to his parents. There is also the very confident coffee roaster who constantly complains about her husband and wonders if this is the best way to live. We meet the crochet lady who feels the burnout from her work and the ordinary worker who has risen to author fame by pursing his own sense of passion and study on the Korean language.  These characters are all trying to find the answers in their lives to their own personal questions and they are all drawn to this book shop.

My favourite character is the barista Minjun. He has some inner conflict about his job making and serving coffee as opposed to being a successful office worker like his parents desire him to be. Regardless of this, he comes to feel harmony with where he is and diligently applies himself to his work. He goes the extra mile into understanding the taste of roasting the different beans and attempts to create flavours that are more to the customers liking.  

The first edition cover from publishers Bloomsbury, manages to exude this central theme, where the bookshop exhibits a warm glow in a busy urban neighbourhood.  

Hwang Boreum’s debut novel is expertly translated by Shanna Tan from the Korean into the English. Hwang studied computer science before becoming an engineer and then an essayist.  Her novel,  when released in South Korea sold over 150,000 copies. It was initially released as an ebook following a Korean publishing contest. Shanna is a literary translator born and based in Singapore working from the languages of   Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English.

As well understanding the various people, we get a glimpse into how to run the business of a bookshop and how to stay relevant and current as an independent startup. Yeongju uses social media and her own set of values to ensure she stays true what she wants the shop to be. She constantly sets goals and challenges herself. The bookshop becomes more than a way for these wayward characters to connect with each other, but it becomes a cultural hive for the neighbourhood.

Structured into short episodic chapters, this novel gives off a warm and cosy vibe and is great for curling up by the fire or someplace warm to read.

A fellow Instagrammer and lover of books pointed out to me that she loved how the little dog walker, and her dog icon moves along in the novel as you get to the end. I had not noticed this before.

If you love reading, drinking coffee, introspective thoughts about life, then this is worth a read and would make a lovely gift for those who enjoys similar. 

4 out of 5 stars