Scan barcode
yvo_about_books's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Finished reading: June 15th 2024
"I think it’s more comfortable to live a life that you want instead of a life that would not disappoint them. Of course, it’s a pity that the closest people to you are the ones disappointed in you. But there’s no way to live your whole life according to your parents’ wishes."
WARNING: it's unpopular opinion time again!!
On paper, Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop should have been a great fit for me. I love bookish stories, and the fact that this story is mainly set inside a bookshop and offers lots of bookish references alone should have been able to convince me. I was looking forward to more insight in Seoul life and how the bookshop influenced the characters in play... But somehow this story fell flat for me instead. I've seen this type of stories called 'healing fiction', and it might just be that this particular genre simply isn't for me. It might also be that my fickle reading mood has decided to show its face again, although it has been behaving lately... Either way, I ended up struggling considerably, and I actually contemplated DNFing more than once. There is no real plot to speak of, and no storyline to follow. Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop reads more like a rambling journey with no clear path nor end goal, and to make things worse the pace is extremely slow. There were parts that were very repetitive, and as a result the story dragged considerably. I also felt like I never really got to know the main characters at all... I actually caught myself skimreading more than once and I kept stopping to do other things instead, which is never a good sign. I can't deny that I do like the idea behind this story and what it is trying to do, but the execution just wasn't a right fit for me. It's a shame, because I was really looking forward to this one! That said, don't give up on my account as most people do seem to enjoy their time with Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Grief, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
xvicesx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A beautiful love letter to books, bookshops and the necessity of taking a breather from taking life too seriously.
Its a bit of an acquired taste, very Far East Asian in type, because you don't really have slice-of-life as a Western genre. I'm glad it did get the publicity and the translation for the Western market, though, because this entire book feels like a warm hug. A cosy moment in a cosy place where you can settle down and watch life go by for a little while.
Its a bit of an acquired taste, very Far East Asian in type, because you don't really have slice-of-life as a Western genre. I'm glad it did get the publicity and the translation for the Western market, though, because this entire book feels like a warm hug. A cosy moment in a cosy place where you can settle down and watch life go by for a little while.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol and Grief
jayisreading's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
On the surface, this novel is heartwarming and charming, following the (relatively romanticized) calm and gentle rhythms of the day-to-day happenings at an independent bookshop in a fictional neighborhood of Seoul. However, what I found particularly striking about this novel was its anti-capitalist undertones. It especially comes as a surprise, given the hellish work–life balance and capitalism’s relentless presence in South Korea. As Hwang aptly points out a few times in the novel, life really is a bit of a rat race.
Hwang’s novel is one that pushes back against this culture. She asks the readers to slow down, to take a moment to breathe, to question where we’re placing our values and why so much of it is career- and success-oriented. The protagonist, Yeongju, does a lot of meandering through life as she tries to figure out the purpose of her bookshop and the end goal. Along the way, we see these answers slowly appear in her interactions with other characters in the novel, all of whom are also trying to find their purpose and end goals, especially in a fast-paced society driven by capitalist ideologies.
For me, what I found particularly comforting about this novel wasn’t so much the bookshop vibes, but, rather, the quiet call to take a moment to rest and not get caught up racing to the top. (In a way, an analogy was made with selling and reading bestsellers.) I think of Tricia Hersey’s Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, in which she wrote: “Rest is radical because it disrupts the lie that we are not doing enough. It shouts: ‘No, that is a lie. I am enough. I am worthy now and always because I am here.’” While the characters aren’t necessarily in a state of complete rest, the slower, wandering pace gives the reader a moment to pause and reflect.
If you’re looking for a plot-driven novel, you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for strong character development, it’s… kind of there. More than anything, I found that this novel was something of an intervention to propose an escape—even if temporary—from the rat race, which Hwang manifests through her characters’ interactions and musings. I didn’t find the novel particularly revolutionary in its message and, admittedly, even found the directionlessness a bit maddening at times, but I think I picked it up at the right time to be reminded to revisit my values. I also have one really nitpicky thing that might not bother everyone, but I was terribly annoyed by the inconsistencies in romanizing Korean words/names. It was hard to tell how to accurately pronounce them without hearing or seeing the original.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief
More...