Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Author: Hwang Bo-Reum
Translated to English by Shanna Tan
Setting: A neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea
Pages: 301
Geemiz Rating: 4.8/5

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop Book review

Starting this book was the best decision I have made since I wanted to read it cover to cover in a day, two, or even a week. Unfortunately, I was delayed for a month because life happened. It was a pleasure to dive headfirst into reading this novel, which is my first Korean translation. Pachinko, written by Min Jin Lee, was the first book I read written by a Korean author.

Like most recent Asian novels that I read, the book is full of relatable life tales and teachings that mirror our daily lives. There is a lot to think about work-life balance, burnout, midlife crisis, marriage, love, passion, purpose in life, the definition of success, and a whole lot more.

Owning a book café is a lifelong dream of mine. It is my one day. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, which is for me the definitive Bible on the subject. While it does not just provide readers with a step-by-step guide on opening a book café, it does shed light on the realities of the industry. What it’s like to run a book café is laid bare in the book.

“Running a bookshop is no romantic dream. But if you are determined to start one, I’d say – do it. You need to do it so that you have no regrets in the future” – Yeongju

Among the many memorable lines of the book, the phrase “How Similar are You with your Writing?” struck me the most. This is a question I ask myself often. I want my blog and other writings to have an impact. When people read my work, I want them to hear me. Despite the abundance of tools that make it easy to enhance written work, I find that I hardly utilize these apps since I am unable to hear my own voice after reading the final product.

Other thoughts that make me pause and ponder:

“Work plays an important role in life, but it isn’t solely responsible for our happiness or misery!”

“Life is too complicated and expensive to be judged solely by the career you have”

When I started working from Home in 2011, when I told people about it, they didn’t seem to know how to react. It was new then, and people didn’t grasp the idea. People tend to form opinions about us depending on what we do for a living. Sometimes, the respect we receive and the way people treat us depend on our profession. On the other hand, others take great pride in their work and consequently look down on others. We should remember that neither our job nor our profession is the determining factor in how we treat people.

“It is more important to try your best in whatever you do, no matter how small it may seem. All your effort will add up to something”.

“Working for myself means that I’ll try my best in what I do”

So many times, I get frustrated when things do not go my way. One thing I’ve recently realized about myself is that I tend to start things but never seem to get them done. There are a lot of projects that I have begun but never finished. Because of them, I began to doubt whether I was giving it my all. I keep reminding myself that it will take time—not even a month or a year—before I see any results. And above all else, it won’t happen unless I give it my all.

“A day well spent is a life well lived,” is the last saying that I super love in the novel, and I believe this will guide my life. I think this quote will help me live a decent life every day.

Books that are Mentioned in Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Moral Tribes – Joshua Greene
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D Salinger
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
The Guard of Light – Cho Hae-jin
Glimpses of World History – Jawaharlal Nehru
Too Bright Outside for Love – Kim Keum-hee
Shoko’s Smile – Choi Eun-young
Fascist, A Tragedy – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Refusal of Work: The Theory and Practice of Resistance of Work – David Frayne
To Have or To Be – Erich Fromm
The Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle
The Evening’s Chance Encounter – Park Wan-suh
A Standing Woman – Park Wan-suh
Franny and Zoey – J. D. Salinger

Your life is yours to live and you alone can determine the path you want. So, live the best of your life. For example, Jimi’s decision to quit a relationship, Yeongju’s pursuit of her childhood ambition of founding a book cafe, Minjun’s discovery of his passion for coffee, Mincheol’s decision to use his heart to decide his future, and Jungsuh’s fearless decision to start over.

Have you read the book? I love to hear what you think!