The Memory Bookshop, Song Yu-jeong

If you are given the chance to go back in time, which timeline are you gonna go to? No, this is not Before The Coffee Gets Cold or any book in that series. It’s The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong. This book is on the list of books I look forward to in 2026, only to find out that an earlier print was published two years ago. Anyway, I have mixed emotions and reactions about this book and this review may or may not have spoilers so please don’t say you weren’t warned.

What is it about?

Kim Jiwon (no, not Queen of Tears’ Hong Hae In) has been grieving for seven years as she lost her mom to cancer. As she loses her will to live, she stumbled upon (ㄱ) Giyeok Bookshop and just like all the magical realism books we’ve probably read, the place is no ordinary bookshop because the books are actually a collection of one’s memories. It’s kinda like the hard drive of your memories. As Jiwon chooses to stay in the bookshop, she was give three chances to go back in time and revisit her memories. Naturally, she used the chances to go back and spend time with her mom.

What I think about it

The book isn’t bad—it’s just too familiar and common and ordinary. When I pick the books I want to read, I rarely look at the blurb and reviews. I just look at the cover and title and if I feel a connection, I give it a chance. Did I consider filing it under DNF? Yes. Did I actually filed it under DNF? No. Because I was curious about Jiwon’s redemption arc.

Are your parents your responsibility?

It’s very common practice in Asian families to take care and look after our elderly. I personally believe that this should be the case, especially if your parents have been good ones and actually did their best to raise you to become somebody. But if you are fifteen, your responsibility is schoolwork and household contribution. I think it’s too much to take on the task of making hospital appointments for your parents when they are still able. So I don’t really understand why Jiwon is blaming herself for losing her mom.

But sometimes we need to redirect our pain

I remember a Mitch Albom book, where a rabbi was  having  a conversation with an atheist doctor whose wife died of breast cancer. The doctor said he envies the rabbi, because he has a God to blame for his misfortunes, whereas the doctor has no one to blame but himself because he was supposed to be able to treat his sick wife. Maybe Jiwon needed to redirect her pain. But she has no one to talk to about it (or so it seems) and there’s logically no one to blame for the death of a sick person. So maybe, in her desperate attempt to answer questions that didn’t have answers, or fill the void that seems to grow bigger and bigger, she blames herself.

Memories can be distorted, but they can also heal

When Instagram launched the My Stories feature a long time ago, I started documenting the small things about my every day life. I like browsing through the archives, smiling as I remember what little things made me happy back then. It has become my own sort of therapy whenever I am overwhelmed with my present life situation, or just wanting to prove myself how far I’ve come in the past years. Most of the time, I could no longer remember what was my exact feeling about a particular moment, but it helped me process whatever emotions I have in the present and understood myself better. That’s also most probably why, when Jiwon so through her memories, she understood why the things happened happened, and eventually she became more accepting about how things in her life unfolded.

Do I recommend it?

The book is just a short read, a hundred pages or so. It might be too common for my taste but hey, you might find this a gem and also see it from Jiwon’s perspective. Best companion on a lazy Sunday afternoon.