Jam reviewed Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
Healing and inspiring
4 stars
I read this book as part of a book club (shout out to #HoloReads) and I think I couldn’t have chosen a better time in my life to read this book. I found the central theme of burnout and trying to heal within a capitalist system very relevant and relatable. The writing was easy to digest too.
Quote from the author's note:
In other words, I wanted to write what I want to read. Stories of people who find their own pace and direction, of people who believe in others and wait by their side as they go through difficult times, lost in worry. Stories of those who support others, who celebrate small efforts and resolve in a society that puts people—and everything about them—down once they take a fall. Stories that bring comfort, providing a pat on the shoulder for those who’ve lost the joy in life, having …
I read this book as part of a book club (shout out to #HoloReads) and I think I couldn’t have chosen a better time in my life to read this book. I found the central theme of burnout and trying to heal within a capitalist system very relevant and relatable. The writing was easy to digest too.
Quote from the author's note:
In other words, I wanted to write what I want to read. Stories of people who find their own pace and direction, of people who believe in others and wait by their side as they go through difficult times, lost in worry. Stories of those who support others, who celebrate small efforts and resolve in a society that puts people—and everything about them—down once they take a fall. Stories that bring comfort, providing a pat on the shoulder for those who’ve lost the joy in life, having pushed themselves too hard to do well.
One minor thing: the translator uses a lot of Korean terms as is without any translation throughout the book, and I imagine that if you don’t speak Korean you might have to spend some time searching up the meaning of those terms. That can be frustrating and I wish the translation wasn’t done like this.
