The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin

In the past few years, quite a few charming novels have been translated into English from Korean and Japanese. Some are cozy fantasies, others are comfort reads, still others bridge the gap with magical realism. This Korean novel is a comfort read, taking place over the course of a year at a pottery studio not too far from Seoul, South Korea.

Jungmin, 30, has turned into a hermit after she left her stressful broadcast writing job. She just happens upon the studio, and is encouraged to learn to hand-build ceramics, and later to use the pottery wheel. Johee is the ceramic artist who teaches beginners of all ages and mentors Gisik, an advanced student who dreams of opening his own pottery studio by the sea. There is, of course, a cat, who needs a foster home.

Others include Jura, Jungmin’s childhood friend. They are both stuck on some issues from their past, and each seeks forgiveness. There are several other regular characters, and many scenes set in cafés, ice cream shops, and coffee shops, with many untranslated Korean words for food and drink. Other than wishing for a glossary of Korean words and phrases, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story, with the ceramics studio making for an appealing setting, and including life lessons of patience, perseverance, and building community.

Some of the many readalikes include: The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee.

Brenda