Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat Paperback – 29 August 2024

I was waiting for this release and it is definitely worth it. A wonderful book with a such array of characters that I felt like I was watching them come alive through each word. Truly loved it!😊💐

"𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓾𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂?"Book ReviewRating ~ 4 ⭐Last month, I read Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun, translated by Shanna Tan, while traveling home from my Nani’s house. To my surprise, I devoured almost 90% of it on the train in 3hrs! It’s a cozy, heartwarming story set in a laundromat that offers solace to troubled people.In this 24-hour laundromat, people connect through an olive-green diary, using it as a way to communicate and share their life problems. Those who feel lonely or have no one to talk to share their worries. When they come back, they find helpful replies from strangers. These responses make them feel better and less alone.The story begins with Old Jang visiting Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat because he can’t seem to get the smell out of his dog's blanket. While waiting, he finds an old diary left behind by a stranger, filled with shared troubles and supportive replies. He responds to a woman named Mira’s problem.In the following chapters, we meet Yeoreum, a scriptwriter, and Hajoon, a busker & realized that she is his "fairy." Chapter 3 introduces Yeonwoo, who’s dealing with a broken heart after her bf betrayed her trust. She finds solace and healing in a stray cat named Ari, which helps her work through her mental health struggles.Later, in the "Lost and Found" chap, we meet Jaeyeol, the brother of the diary’s original owner. It’s revealed how his brother was scammed, which eventually led to his tragic suicide. Jaeyeol has been meticulously planning to take revenge & in the end, everyone comes together to support himThe book tackles themes like loneliness, mental health, family feuds, and the healing power of animals. Now need a Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat tooThis is my first Korean-translated book, so it felt really refreshing & I truly understand what “healing fiction” means.Overall, I highly recommend this heartwarming story for its thought-provoking exploration of everyday struggles and the power of human connection

Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun, translated by Shanna Tan, is a wonderful tribute to quiet power in community and human connection. The novel evolves around a green diary of sorts in this cozy laundromat in the lively neighborhood of Seoul where customers anonymously share their problems. It goes on to craft an unexpected bond between acquaintances.The lives of characters-from Old Jang and his dog Jindol to an ill-faring young mother, a man tormented by guilt-all loosely intersect harmoniously. Each is intensely personal, speaking of ordinary battles: debt, loneliness, and family feuds. For them, the laundromat becomes their haven and sanctuary: there it is where simple acts of kindness bestow on lives-through words within the diary or tangible support..The most exciting thing about reading this book was the sensation of holding a warm cup of coffee on a misty morning. The stories are soft, intimate, yet profound. There is no sudden dramatic action and absolutely no magical realism; yet somehow still, the novel works enough to evoke such steeped feelings. That feeling of community that builds up slowly inside the laundromat is the same kind of relationships we seem to overlook in our own lives.Beautifully translated by Tan, the writing's tender and evocative ability manages to make each character's fragility believable. Gets darker toward the end, but I suppose that is what makes it so serious: we all need each other, even in the most mundane of places.Suiting the season this is an ultimate pick-me-up read: cozy, without being clichéd; thoughtful, without being preachy. If you want to leave a book with a quietly happy feeling lingering long past the last page, then this is it.