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jayisreading's review against another edition
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
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