Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

 

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee.

Translated from the Korean by Sandy Joosun Lee.

Published in paperback 1st August 2024 by Wildfire.

From the cover of the book:

In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there's a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died.

For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at the store is the opportunity of a lifetime. As she uncovers the workings of this whimsical world, she bonds with a cast of unforgettable characters, including DallerGut, the flamboyant and wise owner, Babynap Rockabye, a famous dream designer, Maxim, a nightmare producer, and the many customers who dream to heal, dream to grow, and dream to flourish.

A captivating story that will leave a lingering magical feeling in readers' minds, this is the first book in a bestselling duology for anyone exhausted from the reality of their daily life.

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Somewhere deep in our collective subconscious there is a town where people and animals go to purchase their dreams. The Dallergut Dream Department Store, owned and run by the larger-than-life Dallergut, is 'the' destination for those desiring somnolent adventures. Its five floors offer dreams of many kinds, and its staff are always on hand to find something that fits your needs, even if you are not quite sure what they are. But be quick, as the best dreams sell out fast!

New hire Penny has a lot to learn about how the dream business works. As she navigates the complexities of dream design, marketing, and steering customers towards the experiences right for them, she becomes part of the Dallergut family.

This charming, speculative novel, which has been a best-seller in South Korea, has two beautifully constructed elements that weave together perfectly. The first is the magical setting that exists to provide humans and animals alike with dreams. It is a backdrop filled with vivid characters, some of whom are drawn from the realms of fantasy, all working together in a bustling, if unconventional, economy that runs on the capacity of dreams to provide an emotional pay-off. And the second, is the philosophical exploration of the power of dreams in helping us deal with our journey through life.

Penny introduces you to the Dallergut Dream Department Store and the surreal world around it. As she learns her craft, you are at her side to get to know all about the personalities, foibles, and particular skills of the other staff members, as well as how the dream trade operates. The world building is intricate, and incredibly well thought out, though it does take a little brain stretching to get your head around some of the more abstract aspects - just suspend your disbelief in the spirit of the story and go with the magical realism flow... it is worth it. The personalities are especially lovely, and their interactions are full of pathos and humour.

What makes this story a cut above is the way Miye Lee gets into the nitty gritty of the philosophical aspects of the story about different kinds of dreams and the effect they have on the dreamer. There are examples of common repeating themes that I am sure we have all dreamt ourselves, and highly individual, custom designed dream packages, in all shades of light and dark - and there are intensely emotional vignettes about the dreamers who experience them, and how they impact their lives. The dreams of a darker kind (and their designers) are particularly fascinating, especially how they help dreamers work through trauma, grief and heartache.

This is book that is funny, sad, and surprisingly touching. Miye Lee has a way to evoke tears and laughter, and make you think about deep subjects all at the same time (think Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman), and Sandy Joosun Lee's translation clearly maintains every ounce of spellbinding story-telling and sentiment. 

I found this an enchanting novel. Its cultural references may be very Korean, but its themes are universal. I am really looking forward to the second half of the duology, Return to the Dallergut Dream Department Store (coming November 2024), to catch-up with Penny and the Dallergut gang.

Dallergut Dream Department Store is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Wildfire for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Miye Lee was born in Busan in 1990. After graduating from the Busan National University School of Materials Science and Engineering, she worked as a semiconductor engineer at Samsung Electronics. Her debut novel Dallergut Dream Department Store published entirely funded through a crowdfunding service in Korea in 2020 and has since drawn many enthusiastic responses and favourable reviews.

About the translator:

Sandy Joosun Lee is a translator and interpreter based in Seoul. Her translations include Won-pyung Sohn's Almond (HarperVia 2020). She also works in animatronics, translating and developing animated content, which includes The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021) and Star Wars: Visions (2023).