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Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun

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It’s always the heaviest, most painful thoughts that feel impossible to say out loud. But what if, during a late-night trip to a laundromat, you stumble upon a random notebook filled with strangers’ thoughts and confessions? Would you lay down your own worries and write in it too? Who knows, maybe you’d find the help you didn’t know you needed, or the comfort you’ve been quietly wishing for.

"...π‘Ήπ’†π’Žπ’†π’Žπ’ƒπ’†π’“, π’˜π’‰π’†π’•π’‰π’†π’“ π’Šπ’•'𝒔 𝒂 π’“π’‚π’ˆπ’Šπ’π’ˆ π’•π’šπ’‘π’‰π’π’π’ 𝒐𝒓 𝒂 π’π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’• π’”π’•π’π’“π’Ž, 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 π’šπ’π’–'𝒗𝒆 π’”π’–π’“π’—π’Šπ’—π’†π’… π’•π’‰π’†π’Ž π’•π’‰π’†π’š'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’Šπ’π’…π’” 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕."

It’s amazing how this book took such an ordinary setting like a laundromat and turned it into a safe space where people can be open and a little vulnerable. It reminds me that we’re all carrying something inside, and even the tiniest connection with another person can make it all feel a bit more bearable, even for a little while.

Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a heartwarming and gentle read that reminds you of the goodness in people and the importance of community. I really appreciate how it tackled heavy themes without making the story feel depressing. If anything, I found a bit of peace and a little more faith in humanity after reading this book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

BOOK BLURB:

Situated at the heart of a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold.

It is already a haven of tranquility and reflection for locals, but when someone leaves a notebook behind, the laundromat becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbours who were once just faces in the crowd.

But there is more to the diary than first appears, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve a mystery and help the notebook's former owner find peace.

A heartwarming, healing debut that instantly captured the hearts of Korean readers, this is a novel about the preciousness of human relationships and the power of solidarity in a world that is increasingly cold, fast-paced and virtual.

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