The Courage to pick up a pen, THE SEOUL LETTER SHOP (Harper Perennial) by Baek Seungyeon, is the story of hand-written letters and a young woman's renewal

“On its front, inside a white oval with rounded edges like a pebble’s was written ‘Geulwoll’. Hyoyoung plucked out her air pods and opened the door, A whole world awaited her. Hyoyoung spent a moment enjoying the silence before her gaze to the lefthand window. Sky clear bright. The hills and mountains traced a line through the middle of the glass pane, beneath which lay a cluster of mismatched houses. Gray-orange-and crimson tiled roofs all overlapped. The scene would almost look like an oil painting.”

“Something else about Geulwolf had made as much an impression on her as the view: its interior walls were painted the shade of ripe apricots. the pale orange coating the knobby cement walls made her feel as though she was inside the little cardboard box in which she kept her toys, rings, hairbands as a child. Being here she felt a comfort and ease, much like she did when gazing upon the precious items all gathered together in one container, and she felt a real affinity to this space.”

When Hyoyoung, a 28-year-old Korean woman, entered Geulwolf, the letter shop was both her new work environment and a personal retreat. She considered herself fortunate to be offered the job by a former classmate at a university. Having left the university and a promising future as a film director, Hyoyoung found herself alone in an unfamiliar city.  She is also estranged from her family. Memories are painful. But in the serenity of the shop, feelings fade.

I read this book wanting to visit The Seoul Letter Shop and wondering if there is a letter writing culture anywhere to supports such shops? Considering the speed of worldwide communications, internet culture, it seems an anachronism. Though in the novel skeptical first-time patrons joked about Geulwolf but bought pens and the woodsy-lemon fragrance that permeates the store..

Most essential to this story is the mystery of communication between human beings. For Hyoyoung, cut-off from people, she forms ties with her school friend and his family, the local baker and a “regular,” a charming and moody Webtoon artist. She is also served by her work implementing a unique Pen Pal Service.  Anonymity inspires a language of confidence, as strangers find the courage to pick up a pen and share thoughts-feelings rarely expressed. Shy neighbors hear of the service and are curious to try, as are regulars and people passing by.  

Hyoyoung appreciates the quiet solace in the rustling of the papers and the excitement of people receiving replies. She observes many positive changes in correspondents’ lives. Letters bridge differences, mend wounds, reveal truths. Ultimately, she picks up a pen, ready to face her painful past n with new understanding.  

I found Hyoyoung’s journey from alienation to real-world resolution, very moving. This is a first novel by a young writer with humor and insight. I hope to see more work from Baek Seungyeon. 

S.W.