Kim Ji-yoon
MacLehose Press
18 August 2024
304
eBook - PDF
Contemporary Fiction
ARC via NetGalley
Situated in a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. Furnished with a coffee machine, a full bookshelf, and warm lighting, it is a haven from the world for many locals.
And when a notebook is left behind there, it 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 darker story behind the notebook, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve the mystery and put the world to rights.
Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Ji-yoon was a delightful, sweet read. It follows the popular style of Japanese and Korean cosy contemporary fiction, but in this particular story there were no magical realism elements. I enjoyed seeing how the characters from the neighbourhood gradually got to know one another through the laundromat's diary, helping one another both mentally and physically with the different challenges they each faced. It was heartwarming without being cloying, and the vignettes were all well paced, the interrelationship between each individual stories nicely handled so that the friendships forged through the laundromat developed little by little, each new tale expanding the network of characters. Overall, a lovely light read when you want to be uplifted. I would definitely read more by this author in the future and I am giving this book 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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