Anyone who knows me or has any general sense of my taste in books knows that Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is…a little outside my taste in literature. My usual taste runs almost solely fantasy (does Dune count as an exception?) with a smattering of history added in recent years.

I discovered this through the casual recommendation of a Bookstagrammer (is this an embarrasing admission?) I decided to give this a try as I had read a number of different books recommended by this particular fantasy book peddler. It feels odd to make this admission, because in some ways, this feels like announcing publicly that I would give a Nigerian prince my life savings. I feel like the lady who put her entire net worth in a shoe box, because somebody from Amazon called and said he could put her in touch with the CIA. (This is a real thing.)

Anyway, I read this book.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum is a very tender slice of life work of literary fiction. Containing reflections on the nature and value of our work, in addition to the life-changing power of books to alter the course of our lives, this novel is a gentle balm of a read.

A woman, Yeongju, has opened a bookshop in the Hyunam-dong neighbourhood of Seoul, after her painful divorce, as a way to rekindle and reconnect to her childhood love of reading. The novel follows her daily routines, and the routines of the supporting cast of characters that revolve around this charming little bookshop.

Anti-work sentiments are all the rage here in the West. Generational attitudes towards work are changing. In particular, the idea of allowing your employer or occupation to gradually dominate your life is becoming increasingly unpopular. It’s no longer the norm to believe in sacrificing increasing amounts of our limited personal time to work. A gentler and slower mode of living is becoming highly desirable and sought after.

WHDB offers a gentle counter to THE GRIND mindset many of us were taught at a young age. It’s okay to desire a simple job that takes care of your immediate financial needs, and seek personal fulfillment elsewhere. Characters like Jungsuh and Seungwoo, a burnout corporate worker and a budding author respectively, discuss their relationship to work and how the pursuit of their passions, and the interplay of those two things, which blessedly don’t have to have any connection at all.

When I was training to be a teacher, I remember my associate teacher telling me that because he enjoyed his job, he never worked a day in his life. It really struck me then how much that sentiment doesn’t make any sense. We put more of ourselves into something that we are passionate about. A job that you are genuinely invested in takes up more of your life and time, not less. If you are passionate about your job, it can quickly become all consuming. You will work much harder at a job you care deeply about.

Hwang explores this sentiment and actively questions whether pursuing a dream is actually worth it in the long run, noting that a pursuit of a longterm career goal is often unsatisfying in a recreational or pleasure-oriented sense. A common theme among the many characters of WHDB is some sort of dysfuctional dynamic with work. Seungwoo quits being a programmer because he felt exploited by his own success and skill. Jungsuh’s desire for a promotion was used to take advantage of her work ethic. Yeongju’s work stress is a major de-stabilizer of her marriage, and prompts a drastic career change.

Not only are unhappy work-life balances explored, but on a more positive note, the joys and the fantasy of opening and operating a bookshop are examined. As someone who has delighted in perusing many a bookshop, I loved the idea of dropping everything and opening a cool little bookstore/coffeeshop. Yeongju even hosts film screenings! It’s a lovely fantasy, and the author explores this in detail. Our protagonist puts a lot of effort into making it viable as a business, while also being an extension of her manifesto on living a slower, and gentler life according to one’s own desires.

I’m thankful that I chose to read this book. You will see many reviews on Goodreads comparing this to a warm cup of coffee, or tea on an autumn afternoon. Some sort of “cozy” signifier will be applied. WHDB epitomizes “cosiness”, a reaction to the difficulties of work, something simpler and gentle, not emotionally taxing, a reprieve from life’s woes. I am somewhat suspicious of the “cosy” sub-genre, there is something too saccharine and cloying about it. That being said, this is a light and gentle read that, I think for the most part, succeeds as a balm against life’s procession of disappointments and tragedies. I think it succeeds on the basis of it’s acknowledgement of these difficulties, not it’s denial.

If you have read Welcome to the Hyunam-doing Bookshop, let me know what you thought of it! Feel free to subscribe, there is hopefully much more to come!