In Search of Meaning

As we go through life, it slowly dawns on us that we are all the products of a cycle. We all trudge a familiar path and this journey starts at a young age. As we grow up, we must adhere to this cycle because it has already been proven to lead to success. We must follow this path else we set ourselves up for failure. First, we must study hard and excel at school, perhaps even earn an honor at school. We toil hard and then enter university, better if a prestigious one. The cycle does not stop there. Post-university, we must pursue stable, high-paying, and outstanding jobs. This is why most of us are told if not pressured, at a young age, to pursue a degree in law or medicine, two of the most prestigious professions out there.

For Asian children, there is an undue pressure placed on their shoulders. They must pursue either being a doctor or a lawyer. Anything less is deemed mediocrity. Good education. Good academic performance. High-paying job. These have come to define success. Unfortunately, it does not end there. Post-university – a Ph.D. would even be more attractive – one must also find a decent partner to spend the rest of their life with. And it should be no ordinary partner. He or she should also live up to the same standards that we are raised in. Then comes the pressure of having to bear children. With our path already forged and determined by those who went before us, it makes one question if we are really in control of our own destiny.

It was this quandary that Yeongju, the main character at the heart of Hwang Bo-reum’s debut novel Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop, found herself in. Like the dutiful daughter she is, she did everything by the books, at least, as plotted by the society she grew up in. She excelled in her studies and completed her degree; in most Asian societies, completing a university degree is imperative. After obtaining her degree, she found herself a decent job. Pursuing the path paved before her, she got married. Unfortunately, their marriage was childless. It all seemed picture-perfect. Yeongju had all the ingredients for a successful and happy life. However, there was always something missing, something lacking.

“She’d never been here before, but it felt like a place where there were many people she’d known for a long time. Originally, her plan was to take things slow. But once she had a goal, it was like stepping on the accelerator. She diligently visited property agents to look for available properties to look for available properties and it took her only a few days to find her current location. She was told that it was a single-floor residential unit, but the previous owner had opened a café there, which later went bust.”

~ Hwang Bo-reum, Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop

In conforming to society’s expectations, Yeongju didn’t realize that she was compromising her own happiness. As the years passed by, she found herself burning out, both from her job and her marriage. It was all too much to bear. In the end, she eventually decided to step out of this path and forge her own. She left both her job and marriage to pursue a childhood dream. It was a tough call because it entailed going against and upsetting the status quo. Despite being emotionally fraught due to the recent hiccups in her life, she mustered her energy open up her own bookshop, using what she was able to save from her previous job. Always been passionate about books, this was the commencement of a lifelong dream.

Running your own business, however, is now a walk in the park. Yeongju had to make the necessary arrangements, from finding a suitable place to completing the paperwork. She was able to find the perfect spot in Seoul’s quaint (but fictional) Hyunam-dong (dong means neighborhood). The challenges, however, would not end there. She was unsure of how to proceed. Opening a bookshop was one thing but running it efficiently was another. On top of these, she had to ensure that the bookshop earned; she was running a business after all. It was an uncharted territory, all new to Yeongju. Shortly after opening, passersby noticed a dejected Yeongju at the till. After a neighbor pointed this out to her, she soon started making changes. It took time but she was able to plant her feet firmly on the ground.

To help her run her business, Yeongju hired MInjun to be the barista. A recent university graduate, Minjun was forging a path of his own. Like Yeongju, he endured years studying, working hard to earn good grades at school and at the university, believing that it would secure him a steady job. Unfortunately, he was not able to find a corporate job. It was at this juncture that he decided to deviate from the path plotted for him. Minjun was the perfect fit for the job. He went above and beyond expectations. Outside of the job, he expanded his knowledge of coffee and was soon serving coffee her personally brewed. Sharing her own insights and extending assistance to her best friend’s business was Jimi. Jimi runs Goat Beans, a roastery from which the bookshop sources its coffee beans.

Together, they worked from strength to strength to turn the bookshop into a fairy tale success. Slowly, the bookshop started to draw in more customers, mainly from the neighborhood. To keep the hype, Yeongju started hosting book clubs and lecture series. To get more ideas, Yeongju visited other independent bookshops in Seoul. She also started using social media to promote the bookshop. Before she knew it, the bookshop had transformed into a community center, a space where different members of the neighborhood converge. It was a space where the denizens of Hyunam-dong could share their thoughts and insights.

“Books are not meant to remain in your mind, but in your heart. Maybe they exist in your mind too, but as something more than memories. At a crossroads in life, a forgotten sentence or a story from years ago can come back to offer an invisible hand and guide you to a decision. Personally, I feel like the books I’ve read led me to make the choices I’ve made in life. While I may not remember all the details, the stories continue to exert a quiet influence on me.“

~ Hwang Bo-reum, Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop

The bookshop, however, was not only a place for discourses. It was also a space for growth and establishing connections with other members of the community. It transformed into a safe haven for different individuals who had their own struggles. For Minjun, the steady buzz of the bookshop and his new environment became a form of therapy. Like Yeongju, the bookshop prompted him to slow down. This allowed him to drink in various scenes of life without the need for a rush. Despite the deviation from the conventions, this new approach in life – he also started doing yoga – resulted in a healthier and happier life. It was also a journey of rediscovery and growth for him, albeit toward a direction he did not expect.

It is in its painting of the daily rigors of life that the novel draws strength. We can relate to the various struggles and concerns of the characters. Jimi, for instance, started to understand how to navigate the world of troubled married life. The customers also started to become characters and endeared themselves to the readers. Jungsuh, we learn, quit her job because of its unfair policies. Despite her tenure, she was a temporary employee while a newly-hired employee who happens to know someone at the company was hired permanently. After quitting her job, she started spending her time at the bookshop seemingly doing nothing before eventually taking an interest in crocheting and knitting.

Mincheol’s mother, meanwhile, has always been known as Mincheol’s mother and not by her name. She spent years raising her child and yet she was only known as someone’s mother. In her interactions with the bookshop patrons, she started to gain her voice. Mincheol, on the other hand, was a high school student who started to resent cram school. There was also a layer of budding romance. This came in the form of Seungwoo. He was an office worker who, like most of the characters in the novel, left his dispassionate job and became an author. His writing endeavor – through social media – made him cross paths with Yeongju. Seungwoo soon started hosting a regular writing workshop at the bookshop.

The bookshop has become a kaleidoscope world where different people from different walks of life have converged. We learn about their struggles and concerns – with some even running from their pasts – which can be complex yet common. It is these that make them very human and relatable characters. The more they soak in the atmosphere of the bookshop, the more they learn about themselves. They all seek positive change and they find it in the bookshop. In the company of each other, they also found comfort and the affirmation they needed. They have formed camaraderie and established long-lasting connections. Hyunam-dong Bookshop became a place of healing.

“I wanted to write what I want to read. Stories of people who find their own pace and direction, of people who believe in others and wait by their side as they go through difficult times, lost in worry. Stories of those who support others, who celebrate small efforts and resolve in a society that puts people – and everything about them – down once they take a fall. Stories that bring comfort, providing a pat on the shoulder for those who’ve lost the joy in life, having pushed themselves too hard to do well.”

~ Hwang Bo-reum, Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Even Yeongju herself gets immersed in her new life. She learns about her customers’ quirks, their wants, their desires, and what makes them tick. She learns how to go with the flow while listening to everyone’s concerns. She also learns that everyone has different preferences in books. One can enjoy J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye – other books, including some of Hwang’s favorites, were referenced in the novel – but another reader might not be able to appreciate the book and the character’s complexity. She created a safe haven for the denizens of the community and in the process, she was healing from her trauma. Her story also underlines how it is never too late to pursue one’s passions.

A slice-of-life story, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop was riddled with various facets of Korean culture. It subtly underscored the patriarchal nature of Korean society where the husband or the father makes the ultimate decision. Children are expected to conform to a stringent set of rules. A premium is placed on educational achievements and successful work while mental stability is shrugged off. This results in an unintended rat race. Sometimes, the pressure can build up. It is no wonder that the word burnout has become ubiquitous. The titular bookshop provides a reprieve from this quotidian existence.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop was not without its flaws. The structure was fragmented although this can be attributed to the function of translation. Nevertheless, the book’s messages remained clear throughout. It is about pursuing happiness and what one is passionate about. It is about seizing control of your own destiny and not letting the stresses of life bog you down. It is about taking the road not taken and deviating from the expectations of society. Hwang knows a thing or two about this. She was a software engineer by profession before she won a writing contest. The novel is also about the pleasures of reading and books. More importantly, the novel is about a community and establishing connections within this community. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a heartwarming and riveting read.

“Life is too complicated and expansive to be judged solely by the career you have. You could be unhappy doing something you liked, just as it was possible to do what you didn’t like but derive happiness from something entirely different. Life is mysterious and complex. Work plays an important role in life, but it isn’t solely responsible for our happiness or misery.”

~ Hwang Bo-reum, Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop
Book Specs

Author: Bo-Reum Hwang
Translator (from Korean): Shanna Tan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publishing Date: 2023 (2022)
No. of Pages: 297
Genre: Literary

Synopsis

Yeongju did everything she was supposed to: go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. Burned out, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop.

In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily parried coffee roaster – and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju – they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes a place where they all learn how to truly live.

A heart-warming story about finding comfort and acceptance in your life – and the healing power of books.

About the Author

Hwang Bo-reum (황보름) is a Korean writer. She studied Computer Science and worked as a software engineer in Seoul. She then left her profession to pursue a full-time career in writing. She is the author of several essay collections: I Read Every Day, I Tried Kickboxing for the First Time and This Distance is Perfect. In 2022, she published her first novel, 어서 오세요, 휴남동 서점입니다 (Eoseo oseyo, Hyunamdong Seojeomimnida). It was an immediate literary sensation in Hwang’s native South Korea. In 2023, the novel was translated into English as Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop).