Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop: A Novel

The Korean smash hit available for the first time in English, a slice-of-life novel that dares to ask: What if I quit my job and opened a bookstore?

Yeong-ju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and busy life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful—but all she feels is drained. Yet an old abandoned dream nags at her, and in a leap of faith, she leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeong-ju moves to a small residential neighborhood outside the city where she opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.

For the first few months, all Yeong-ju does is cry, deterring visitors. But the long hours in the shop give her time to mull over what makes a good bookseller and bookshop, and as she starts to read hungrily, host author events, and develop her own bookselling philosophy, she begins to ease into her new life and welcome new friends and visitors to her circle: Min-jun, a disillusioned student she hires as a barista; Jeong-suh, a regular whose crochet work Yeong-ju gives out at events; Min-cheol, a lost high schooler searching for meaning in the shelves; and countless others who take refuge and find comfort in the home Yeong-ju builds. Surrounded by friends, authors, and the books that connect them all, she finds new meaning as the Hyunam-dong Bookshop morphs into an inviting space for hurt and lost souls to rest, heal, and learn how to write their own stories—even if it takes a leap of faith.

About the Author

Hwang Bo-reum is the author of several essay collections, and Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop is her first novel. The novel was initially published after winning a contest held by the Korean platform Brunch. She lives in Seoul.

Shanna Tan is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese into English. She was selected for two emerging translator mentorships in 2022. Her translations have appeared in the Southern Review, the Common, Azalea, and others. She lives in Singapore.