The Pear Book

The Second Chance Convenience Store, Kim Ho-Yeon

This novel is more than just a story. If anything, it’s a break between the tales of all the wondrous and troubled characters we meet. It’s a moment of breath between the chaos. 

Dokgo, a homeless man who has completely lost his way in life, including all his memories, stumbles upon a job in a struggling convenience store after helping the owner. He meets the colourful cast of colleagues, some more accepting of him than others, but he somehow shares his mysteriously wise wisdom on each and every one of them. He makes you rethink your expectations of life, and he helps you take a step back and take a moment to pause. 

We also meet a select few regulars who rely on the convenience store during their busy and chaotic lives. This novel makes you think about the stories of every stranger you pass by on the street, every person you see in the shop. Everyone has a stroy, and Dokgo was not afraid to help anyone, he is an inspiration.

Albeit, he does have his problems. As his unclear past begins to take shape in his memory, we learn that he himself did not lead a perfect life. But this job and this store has enabled him to heal and rethink what kind of man he wants to be.

Mrs.Yeom, the warm and kind store owner is the sort of person everyone needs in their life. She is compassionate and chooses to see the good in those others turn away from. As a character, she grounds the reader in the story and provides a relatable point of view. 

Kim Ho-Yeon writes with such magic and intrigue that even the darker moments feel like a dream world. He instills a new sense of hope within the reader as they begin to turn the last pages. 

Everyone has a story to tell and everyone deserves a shoulder to cry on.

The Last Chance Convenience Store won’t be published in English until Summer 2026. I may have to learn Korean just so I can read it sooner!