Have you ever been on a summer holiday so good you never want to go home again? Jebi is tired of noisy, crowded Seoul and her dull job at a photography studio in the city. When she sees a billboard on her commute showing beautiful Jeju Island, she decides to quit her job and spend a summer there. On the last day of her trip, when she''s due to fly back to her real life, she loses everything: phone, credit cards, plane ticket. Wandering through a fishing village, she stumbles across a tiny photo studio. Staying to work there, she meets and photographs a young couple who are about to get married, an elderly ex-cop haunted by questions from his past, and the Jeju haenyeos , a group of local women freedivers who gather sea urchins. The photos Jebi takes capture the magic of the island and its people.

Autorentext

Her Taeyeon won the 11th Honbul Literary Award (the largest literary prize in Korea), for her novel The Man Who Dances Flamenco, written in memory of her late father.

Her most recent book, The Fairy Godmother of the Hand Me Down World, was a Korean bestseller.

Klappentext

Your next summer read! The feel-good Korean bestseller about small-town life and chosen family.

**FROM THE TRANSLATOR OF WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP AND MARIGOLD MIND LAUNDRY.

'When will I get to be the main character in my own life?'

Burnt out by life in Seoul, Jebi has come to Jeju Island for a much-needed summer holiday. But on the last day of her trip, she loses everything: phone, credit cards, plane ticket. Looking for help, she stumbles across a tiny photography studio. Then and there, she makes a choice that will change her life forever.

Jebi accepts the offer of a job from the studio's frazzled owner, Seokyeong. The photos they take together capture the magic of the island and its people. From the young couple struggling with cold feet before their wedding, to the ex-cop haunted by secrets from his past, and the geologist who discovers a precious fossil on one of Jeju's pristine beaches, each has a story to tell.

By following her dreams, Jebi finds the family she never had.

Readers love Hakuda Photo Studio:

*'A captivating, slow-burning novel that pulls you into a world where new beginnings and personal growth unfold gently yet powerfully . . . Hakuda Photo Studio shines through its thought-provoking themes of love, loss, and healing'

'A tender, transformative novel, perfect for anyone who loves stories of self-discovery, the beauty of small towns, and the mysterious ways the universe brings us what we need'

'A sweet and gentle story . . . the setting was lush'*