일의 기쁨과 슬픔

This book contains around 8 short stories that focus on the ups and downs of work life, just as the title suggests. The stories have different lengths and settings, some happening at work and others outside. They are all connected through the common theme of workplace relationships. None of the stories feature any major events, but 장류진 skillfully brings out the tension and suspense that can be found in everyday situations. This results in an underlying sense of unease throughout each short story, that had me engrossed and at times anxiously flipping pages to see how the plot would unfold.

This was one of the first full-length books for adults that I have read in Korean so far, and I found it surprisingly accessible at my current upper-intermediate level. Since all of the stories focus on relationships or daily work life, they felt very relatable and were easy to follow along with. None of the vocabulary was terribly advanced, and due to the nature of the stories, much of the new vocabulary I was exposed to consists of words that will be very useful for describing my own life. I believe this is a very solid option for learners to try and dive into at an upper-intermediate level.

I really enjoyed reading this book! The settings of the stories made the events feel very familiar, but they had some unexpected happenings throughout that kept me intrigued and even surprised me at some points. I especially loved the characters, some of whom felt like people I've met before or even work with (shout out to 빚나 언니 from the first story - I can really imagine a person like her actually existing). Even though not all of the stories are positive feel-good ones (the book is called "The Joys and Sorrows of Work," after all), it felt strangely comforting to read about other young working adults also just trying to navigate life. I look forward to rereading this at some point and also want to read some other books from 장료진, as this book has made me a fan!