A very light and heartening read that I began with little to no expectations. This is my second book by a South Korean author. I have been intentionally trying to expand my horizon since the last few years by trying to read more books from different parts of the world. Cultural differences fascinate me, it's one of the most important reasons why I travel and have so much curiosity when I meet new people. Ask my shipmates and they'll tell you about my incessant questions about their lives in their countries. I want to be a sponge, absorb all the world's diversity and it's similarity. Perhaps this is why I love reading books so much. Books are gateways, portals that secretly transport you to a place and back, with only words. You get to learn so much about someone imaginary living so far away, about how they like their coffee or how they perceive their wins and losses and more, without ever moving an inch.
'Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop' brings you a simple story with simple characters who have simple lives. Sometimes as in life, complex problems show up in the book every now and then but even those are dealt by the author with a light hand, never coating anything with too much heaviness. The book touched upon so many interesting topics within the realm of its characters and the space of the bookshop, a coffee roasters office and Yeonju's home- Yet no problem overwhelmed me or made me too sad or anxious. Even in those moments there was always an undercurrent of hope. This book is filled with a sense of community and an encouraging nudge to just focus in the moment and slowly keep moving forward even when things feel dire.
I grew fond of the characters and found myself rooting for them. I felt like I was part of the ensemble most of the times, sitting at the Hyunam-dong bookshop watching things unfold. It made me yearn for such a warm, friendly independent bookshop in my area. A place where everyone loves books, there's excellent coffee available, bestsellers are not the main gimmick and you can meet like-minded people. Like every book lover, I've spent time wondering what it might be like to own a bookshop and envelope myself in books, to own a business where owners' profits are not the priority but meeting book lovers and making books accessible and interesting to everyone is. This book gave me a glimpse into that life and now I only want it more.
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