Read this when
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop
She quit the job that was burning her out and opened a tiny bookshop. Now all the other burned-out people keep wandering in. 📚☕
Who it's for
Yeongju, burned out from a demanding corporate career and recently divorced, opens a small neighbourhood bookshop, and the shop slowly draws in other people who are adrift: Minjun, a barista who worked hard and still couldn't get hired, a directionless teenage.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Hwang Bo-reum's debut novel, translated into English by Shanna Tan, follows Yeongju, who leaves a demanding career and her marriage after burning out and opens an independent bookshop-cafe in a residential neighbourhood of Seoul.
Where to find it
In print (Bloomsbury); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Age: Ages 12+
Not hammerstrokes, but dance of the water sings the pebbles into perfection.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 126
