I’m a huge fan of a particular cozy subset of contemporary Asian fiction. That’s a broad statement, I know, but I’m talking about books that are relatively slow-paced, feature some sort of near-magical element, and are quite philosophical at the core. More specifically, books like those in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, the Kamogawa Food Detectives series, or Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. If those are features you enjoy in your books, then this one should top your TBR list.
As the hours of darkness increase for those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s the perfect time to ponder the many possible functions of dreams. Miye Lee’s novel offers a fun way to do just that through the main character, Penny, as she learns about dreaming through the slumbering clientele who frequent the Dallergut Dream Department Store.
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee
After an unusual interview process, Penny is super excited to land a job at the legendary Dallergut Dream Department Store. When she shows up for her first day of work, she’s asked to visit each floor of the wondrous store to learn about the types of dreams each department sells to its slumbering clientele. She’s increasingly fascinated and dismayed in equal measure, because learning about the products on their shelves doesn’t bring her any closer to figuring out which department she wants to work in.
So when Dallergut himself approves her to work on the first floor, where much of the behind-the-scenes administrative labor happens, her training takes her (and, with her, the reader) on a metaphysical journey through dreamland.
Alongside Penny, the reader learns about the various purposes different types of dreams serve. She also meets several of the delightfully quirky dream designers who create them. For me, this was part of the fun of this book. The dream designers are so thoughtfully crafted, and the author’s larger interest in the function of dreams really shined through these characters.
As Penny becomes more and more experienced, she gains access to increasingly nuanced aspects of the department store, dreams, and the relationship between dreams and conscious life. Her deepening experiences with the land of dreams take the reader on a thought-provoking journey that prompts questions about the purpose of different types of dreams, the relationship between our dreams and our waking lives, and how dreams work.
The Dallergut Dream Department Store has a similar feel to some of the other books I mentioned, but it’s also uniquely its own. Certainly, it’s written in short, vignette-like chapters that each feature their own cast of characters. But it’s also a lot heavier on the fantasy elements.
This storyworld is not the world we live in, but a part of the world we dream in. Penny, her coworkers, and the dream designers all exist in a realm that’s inaccessible to us dreamers when we’re awake. But that doesn’t make it any less philosophical when it comes to what the book explores.
In the introduction, Miye Lee explains her ongoing curiosity around dreams. She writes, “A third of our lives is spent in sleep, yet as we dream we venture to wondrous and bizarre places. Are dreams merely subconscious illusions? Or are they something more profound?” These questions undergird the novel, which is whimsical and philosophical in equal measure. This is a thoroughly enjoyable introspective read and the beginning of a promising series by Miye Lee.
This post was originally published on here
