by: Nabila Rhapsodios
PRODUCT INFO
Title: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop/Selamat Datang di Toko Buku Hyunam-dong
Author: Hwang Bo-reum
Publisher: Grasindo
Language: Indonesia
Year Published: 2024
Page(s) Number: 408
PROLOGUE
Hwang Bo-reum
Hwang Bo-reum's debut novel is Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. It was initially released as an e-book and later as a paperback. Thanks to the Grasindo publisher, her first novel was translated into Indonesian under the title Selamat Datang di Toko Buku Hyunam-dong, which, if I remember correctly, was released in early 2024.
Here's a short synopsis of what this book is about:
Yeong-ju is a middle-aged woman who opens a bookstore. She gives rise to her dream after feeling burned out from her high-pressure conventional job. Her problems arise one after another; she, too, must face her marriage breaks up, much to the horror of her old-fashioned parents. Realizing her abandoned childhood dream to open a bookstore, she hopes her life is much more relaxed. Yeong-ju moves to Hyunam-dong because the root of "hyu" stands for "rest/relax". She names her book store with a simple name: Hyunam-dong Bookshop.
Opening a bookstore for a woman without entrepreneurship experience is highly challenging. All Yeong-ju does for the first weeks is bawl. However, as the long hours in the store stretch, she starts to reflect on what makes a good bookseller and a meaningful store. She propels herself into reading greedily, throwing a meet-and-greet with book authors, and formulating her philosophy in bookselling. Slowly, Yeong-ju's quaint surroundings gave her thoughtful details of life.
Swarmed by her community, Yeong-ju starts to paint a new chapter in her life. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop grows into a pleasant and welcoming sanctuary for lost souls. Yeong-ju's bookstore becomes a mark that it's never too late to discard the plan and start over countless times.
I was drawn to this book for two reasons. First, the cover alludes to its setting: a warm, glowing firmament while the city shuts off outside. The cover is stunning to look at even today. Second, it was about a bookstore. I've always dreamed about owning my bookstore, so I read books about it to instill some great ideas for opening one.
Anyway, my thoughts on this book are divided into The Pros/Positive Things (+) and The Cons/Negative Things (-). Let's roll on a carpet!
MY IMPRESSION
(+)
a. It's a warm read. You will likely find yourself smiling, envisioning the life of Yeong-ju
b. This book highlights the beauty and smidgen things in life very eloquently
c. Excels at gently poking at culturally tricky subjects such as divorce, cutting ties with family, leaving a flourishing career that pays well, etc. These are subject matters accepted in Western countries, but these are harshly judged in Korea and maybe Indonesia
d. This book is filled with nuggets of suitable lessons and morals
(-)
a. It's missing a bit more plot and direction. Without any clear focus on where the story is heading, I couldn't relate to this novel immersively as much as I'd love to. This book needs a binding agent to tie the whole story
b. The language appeared insipid, and the dialogue was sometimes pompous and stiff. I don't know if the translation is always in a case like this or if it is the actual writing of Hwang Bo-reum
c. I read this novel using the Indonesian version. Perhaps because the author's native language wasn't Indonesian, the writing flow was too complex to enjoy
d. No characters to root for because they were all robotic
The bookstore theme always gives me a vibe and is attractive, but it pains me to give this book a measly 7.4 out of 10 stars. Healing fiction is a genre that makes me think about life and reflections to help me digest my emotions and get through low points in my quarter-life crisis. Unfortunately, I did not get those vibes with this novel.
I would recommend "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" and its sequel, "Midnight Library," "What You Are Looking For Is In The Library," "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" and its sequel, "The Door-to-Door Bookstore," and the "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" series over "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" to readers who enjoy books/libraries/bookstores themes, the slice-of-life and healing fiction genres.
While I agree with some of the novel's discussion topics in Yeong-ju's bookstore, it gained many favorable reviews because of that. I'm the outlier, giving it a mediocre score, but please give it a try and judge for yourself. There are many reviews out there that can be filtered to become material for judging and attracting interest in this book for you; I still stand by my position of giving it a 7.4.
-END-
*Disclaimer: Courtesy of Google Images. The material published on this website is intended solely for general information and reference purposes and is not legal advice or other professional advice.
Comments
Post a Comment