Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop
ABOUT
THE BOOK
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 married coffee roaster, and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju – they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Shanna
Tan
SHANNA TAN is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English. She was selected for two emerging literary translator mentorships in 2022, where she was mentored by Anton Hur and Julia Sanches. Her prose translations have appeared in The Southern Review, The Common, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture and more.
SHANNA TAN is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English. She was selected for two emerging literary translator mentorships in 2022, where she was mentored by Anton Hur and Julia Sanches. Her prose translations have appeared in The Southern Review, The Common, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture and more.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
This novel is with the appeal of the slice-of-life genre. It is a heartwarming and invogorating story about finding acceptance and overcoming insecurities in one’s life. Characters in the novel face their own personal issues, but as they interact with one another, they find solace and learn to embrace life’s possibilities for positive change. The novel is about the power of books, community and connection.