Turn down the K-pop and pay attention to K-healing

THE country that gave the world popular bands such as BTS and hits such as Parasite and Squid Game is now exporting something slower-paced. The publication of Marigold Mind Laundry in America and Britain this month brings attention to the latest South Korean trend: the healing novel.

These books about burnout can be judged by their covers, which ooze wholesome peacefulness. Most depict an attractive building in a soothing colour, with nature artfully arranged outside. In the stories characters leave behind stress in search of something more meaningful. A high-flier sets up a bookshop; a TV writer quits her job and starts pottery classes. A connection to a new place brings connections to new people on their own quests for well-being. From cats to kimchi, ice-cream to coffee, “cosy healing elements” abound, says Clare Richards, translator of The Healing Season of Pottery, a popular novel in Korea that is set for international release this autumn.

South Korea has long had a market for comforting tales with themes of healing, as has Japan. But the current trend emerged during the pandemic, when the genre started to dominate South Korean bestseller charts. The depiction of communal spaces held strong appeal during a time of social constraints, says Joy Lee, a foreign-rights agent. Like many pastimes, healing fiction thrived online, attracting young female readers seeking recommendations from social media. (Several novels were published online first or through crowd-funding, rather than through conventional publishing routes.) Enthusiastic reviews from K-pop stars helped fuel the craze.

International publishers have taken note. Bloomsbury, Hachette and HarperCollins have all published or acquired K-healing bestsellers; Penguin Random House will bring out three titles in the next four months. Korean fiction was suddenly in fashion and “completely exploded”, says Jane Lawson of Penguin Random House. The healing trend has become “utterly global”; many titles have contracts in between 15 and 20 territories.

This reflects a broader shift, with interest in translated fiction rising, especially among young readers. In 2022 sales of translated fiction rose by 22 per cent in Britain; almost half of readers were under 35, according to the Booker Prize Foundation, which awards literary prizes. “We’ve always had very diverse genres in Korea, but now it feels like healing fiction equals Korean fiction” for international publishers, says Lee, who notes that literary offerings within Korea are more diverse than what is being exported.

Why did South Korea spawn the healing novel? It is a function of its competitive culture, rife with burnout. Seven out of 10 South Koreans report mental-health issues, such as depression; nap “cafes” are common in Seoul. The books’ characters wrestle with work exhaustion or job-hunt unsuccessfully.

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“I’m good at studying…I work super hard. How dare society turn its back on me?” laments a forlorn graduate in Hwang Bo-reum’s Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop (2022), a bestseller about a woman who quits her job and opens a bookstore. Hwang wants to comfort readers by “providing a pat on the shoulder for those who’ve lost the joy in life, having pushed themselves too hard to do well”, her author’s note explains.

The genre’s success also indicates the appeal of escapism. Sometimes the novels’ locations are marvellous as well as mindful: a laundry that washes away trauma; a shop where you can buy dreams. The books benefit from slow reading, says Shanna Tan, a translator of several healing novels. Readers come to book talks with their heavily annotated copies in tow, words of life advice underlined. It is literary therapy – by the book.

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