The Healing Season of Pottery (US edition)

This cozy Korean bestseller invites readers into a warm, sunlit pottery studio where a burned-out young TV broadcast writer begins to heal, working the clay, piece by piece, season by season.
 

After breaking down at the office and abruptly quitting her job, thirty-year-old Jungmin holes up in her apartment, speaking to no one for days on end. When she finally emerges, she stumbles upon a pottery studio in her neighborhood and is invited in by the mysterious workshop teacher. The smell of clay, the light filtering through the plant filled windows, the friendly cat, and the incredible coffee the students drink awaken her senses and make her feel alive and inspired for the first time in months.
 
As the seasons change, Jungmin slowly returns to herself and builds a new community with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own pasts at the pottery wheel. When the holidays approach and snow piles up on the studio windowsill, Jungmin realizes how much she has changed—with her hands busy and her mind clear, she may be ready to face the memories she’s been running from and open her heart.
 
For fans of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library and Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, Yeon’s charming English-language debut is a testament to the joy of slowing down in a fast-paced world, and an homage to the art of ceramics and the power of friendship. Readers won’t want to leave the enchanting world of The Healing Season of Pottery after the final page.

About the Author

Yeon Somin is a rising talent in Korea who has made her mark in both literary and television writing. She has received multiple accolades, including the prestigious Korea New Writer’s Award. Yeon is an active contributor to the Brunch writing community and has worked as a freelance television writer for major networks. During her free time, she finds solace in the art of pottery.

About the Translator

Clare Richards is an editor, writer and literary translator working from Korean, with a particular interest in feminist literary fiction, as well as the intersection between disability, neurodivergence and translation. She translated Yeon Somin’s novel The Healing Season of Pottery and Kang Hwagil’s gothic thriller Another Person, and was co-translator of New York Times Bestseller BTS: Beyond the Story with Anton Hur and Slin Jung in 2023. Her translations and essays have been published in The Massachusetts Review, The Author, and The Linguist, amongst others. 

Reviews

"Reading [this] novel, I felt a warmth and joy, as if I, too, had spent four seasons in Soyo Workshop" ―Baek Sehee, author of I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki 

"A charming and poignant novel about the power of friendship, community and hobbies that teach us to slow down and reconnect" ―Libby Page, author of The Lido

"A heartwarming reminder that every season of life carries a lesson, and everything broken can heal" ―Evie Woods, author of The Lost Bookshop

"A charming and utterly moving novel of finding love, meaning and peace through pottery. Reader, I hope you find these pages as healing as I have." ―Patricia Park, author of Re Jane

Dimensions: 13.6 x 2.4 x 20.6 cm