Author: Baek Seungyeon
Translated by: Clare Richards
Publisher: Fourth Estate, expected Jul 2026
Original title: 편지 가게 글월, 2024
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A touching testament to the power of letter writing and connecting with strangers, for fans of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and What You’re Looking For is in the Library.
Hyoyoung feels trapped in her small hometown after her dreams of becoming a film maker are dashed. When a friend asks if she can take charge of his boutique letter shop in Seoul’s Yeonhui-dong district, she jumps at the opportunity.
Though it takes a while for Hyoyoung to adjust to life at the shop, she is soon beguiled by its charms. The store is stocked with gorgeous pens, papers and envelopes. It also runs a pen pal service, where customers can pick up a letter written by an anonymous pen pal if they agree to write an anonymous letter in return. Hyoyoung observes the shop’s customers writing to each other, expressing their deepest fears and desires to people they’ve never met. Over time, Hyoyoung builds lasting connections with the customers, each of whom has their own story to tell. And it’s not long before she discovers the healing, transformative power of the handwritten letter herself…
Source: publisher’s website