‘Memories are such a mysterious construct. When the mind is unwell, even the freshest of memories can be elusive, yet the ones from the distant past remain etched there permanently.’
Jiwon is feeling lost; still grieving her mother’s death, with no one around her who truly understands, her life seems unmoored and hopeless. Until one day, she stumbles upon a mysterious bookshop, filled with endless shelves and oddly familiar books. Books that contain every memory from her life.
It’s here she meets the elusive Manager K, who offers her a choice: She can return to the past three times, in exchange for her future. Can Jiwon change history, or is her future what she’s been searching for all along?
‘In the end, only daughters will understand their mothers.’
The Memory Bookshop is a short & bittersweet tale of longing—for lost opportunities, for happier memories, and for something more. The explorations of grief are examined with simple prose that lays bare the wisdom behind the words, gently framed by magical realism. Jiwon is a sympathetic character who is easy to relate to, even if you already know in your heart where her memories will lead her.
Anyone who’s lost someone knows how “what ifs” and old memories can both hurt and heal, and The Memory Bookshop explores how we would act if we had the chance to relive our regrets. It’s cathartic to follow Jiwon’s journey towards accepting her relationship with her mother, and realizing how complicated life can be in all of its beauty and all of its pain. And just like any good healing fiction, it’ll wrap you up in its tender embrace all the way to the journey’s end.
