Book Review: The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin (translated by Clare Richards)

Rating: 3.5⭐️

“Firing pottery is like lighting a fire in your heart. There might be something inside that you’re trying your best to ignore, but it’s only by turning your gaze toward it that you can see it clearly.”

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin (translated by Clare Richards) revolves around Jungmin, a young woman on the cusp of thirty who shuts herself away from the rest of the world after she quits her job as a broadcast writer after her disillusionment with her job and work pressure culminate in an emotional breakdown in her workplace. Living alone in a small apartment in Chestnut Burr Village, Jungmin struggles with depression and rarely ventures outside her home. On one of her rare outings, she discovers a pottery studio and gradually, as she begins to connect with the clay she is molding and the other members of the community among whom is an old friend with whom she shares a traumatic history, she also reconnects with herself.

“Sometimes it’s the things we can’t explain that leave the most distinct echoes.”

The pacing of the novel is on the slower side, which suits the nature of the story and allows us to get to know Jungmin as she embarks on a journey of healing, introspection and personal growth. I loved the setting of the pottery studio and the sense of community. The author’s description of Jungmin’s interactions and experience with clay and how the same motivates her to take stock of her life and slowly embrace change is heartwarming and thought-provoking. Regarding the secondary characters, I did feel that a few of the subplots were not particularly impactful or necessary, thereby distracting us from Jungmin’s story. Similarly, certain aspects of the story could have been explored further. I also wasn’t taken with how the romantic track was presented.

The writing is crisp (occasionally a tad stilted) with minimal melodrama. The author has addressed themes of mental health, childhood trauma, burnout and work-life balance and depression realistically and with sensitivity, but I would have appreciated the writing more had it a tad more emotional depth.

Overall, there is a lot about this novel that is praiseworthy and I found myself rereading several of the passages. I believe that it would appeal to those who appreciate character-driven stories revolving around themes of hope, healing and community.

“Happiness is enjoyed by the ones who’ve already experienced it. So make the most of it. The more you train yourself to notice your happiness, the more it becomes yours.”

I must mention the cover art which I think is beautiful!

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published in the US on October 22, 2024.

“Whether it’s pottery or life, it takes more than one attempt for them to come out right. And all that effort makes the end product more valuable, too.”

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