Attention lovers of books and independent bookstores, this book is for you! Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a delightful story about a woman’s dream of opening a bookstore and how the store ends up transforming and healing not only her life but those who experience the store.
The main character, Yeongju, basically has a mid-life crisis and abandons her old life (marriage, career) to open a small bookshop in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul. She knows nothing of opening or operating a store, but she has always found comfort in books and feels driven to surround herself and others with them. The book describes the evolution of Yeongju’s early struggles with running the store and how a random cast of characters who discover the shop quickly assist Yeongju in creating a store of her dreams.
The book explores how each character is seemingly at a crossroads in their life – each questioning what is of value and importance to them. Interestingly it is not really the books, but the sense of community created at the bookshop that helps and supports each character. As the book jacket states [this book] is “a heartwarming story of finding comfort and acceptance in your life – and the healing power of books.” Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop illustrates that in our fast paced, electronically isolating environment that we need more physical contact with both people and “things” like books. [4.5 stars]