Author: Jiyun, Kim

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 19 June 2025 by Quercus Publishing (MacLehose Press) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 320 pages, N/A
197 x 129 x 23 | 224g

*THE HEARTWARMING KOREAN BESTSELLER**A new book from Shanna Tan, translator of Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop*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.

Readers love this cosy, slice-of-life K-drama:'Talk to someone. Help someone. Do a good deed. If this book doesn't inspire you, nothing will. A true testament to the power of books.''This is a wonderfully comforting read, and one that makes you truly believe in the goodness of others''Very similar to Before The Coffee Gets Cold or The Kamogawa Food Detectives. So if that's your vibe, you'll enjoy this one too!'Translated from the Korean by Shanna Tan