When an advanced reader’s copy of Soyangri Book Kitchen arrived in our mailbox, my husband picked it up and finished reading it by the next day. He is a devoted fan of Korean dramas. This bestselling Korean novel is the debut from Kim Jee Hye. It was translated by Shanna Tan. My husband loved it, as did I, and you will too.
Yoojin sells her business and is uncertain of what she will do with her time and money. She leaves Seoul, Korea, on holiday to see Mount Maisan and its beautiful sunsets. Her trip was inspired by a novel about an English woman who moves to the country to open an inn. When Yoojin stops at a waffle shop in the village of Soyangri, she overhears two middle-aged men bickering over a property that is for sale. Yoojin interrupts their conversation to say that she would like to look at the property. She buys it and builds the Book Kitchen, a place for people looking not only for books, but for coffee, events and food. Around the Book Kitchen, she builds three buildings where visitors can stay. The chapters in the novel are structured around the visitors. Like Yoojin, each of her guests has a story reflected in their decision to visit the village. The reader moves through the seasons as guests come and go.
Maureen Millea Smith is a retired Hennepin County librarian.
