What do you think?
Rate this book
단순한 진심
서로의 삶에 스며든 타인들!
신동엽문학상, 이효석문학상 수상 작가 조해진의 장편소설 『단순한 진심』. 꾸준히 역사적 폭력에 상처를 입은 개인에 주목하는 작품을 선보여 온 저자는 이번 작품에서 역시 특유의 감수성으로 해외입양 문제와 기지촌 여성의 존재를 틔워 올린다. 서로가 서로에게 점등의 순간, 구원의 순간이 될 수 있다는 빛의 소설로 많은 독자들에게 위로를 전한 저자는 이번 작품을 통해 삶에 등장한 우연한 타인을 외면하지 않고 기꺼이 이름을 부르고 껴안으려는 곁의 소설을 선보인다.
35년 전 프랑스로 해외입양이 되어 파리에서 배우이자 극작가로 살고 있는 ‘나나’. 그는 어느 날, 자신의 삶에 중요한 갈림길이 될 두 가지 소식을 받아들게 된다. 하나는 자신이 헤어진 애인의 아이를 임신했다는 사실. 또 하나는 그를 주인공으로 영화를 찍고 싶다는 한국의 대학생 ‘서영’의 이메일이다.
서영은 나나가 해외로 입양되기 전, 그를 보호했던 한 기관사가 지어 준 ‘문주’라는 이름의 의미를 찾아가는 과정을 영화에 담고 싶다며 나나를 설득하고, 결국 나나는 배 속의 작은 생명에게 ‘우주’라는 이름을 붙이고, 서영의 제안을 따라 이름의 기원을 알기 위해 한국행을 결심한다. 스크린 바깥의 인물들이었던 이들을 만나기 위해 인생에서 접힌 페이지였던 나라로 온 나나는 몇 달, 그 여름 동안 어떤 관계보다 끈끈하게 얽히며 서로를 알기 위해 애쓰는데…….
신동엽문학상, 이효석문학상 수상 작가 조해진의 장편소설 『단순한 진심』. 꾸준히 역사적 폭력에 상처를 입은 개인에 주목하는 작품을 선보여 온 저자는 이번 작품에서 역시 특유의 감수성으로 해외입양 문제와 기지촌 여성의 존재를 틔워 올린다. 서로가 서로에게 점등의 순간, 구원의 순간이 될 수 있다는 빛의 소설로 많은 독자들에게 위로를 전한 저자는 이번 작품을 통해 삶에 등장한 우연한 타인을 외면하지 않고 기꺼이 이름을 부르고 껴안으려는 곁의 소설을 선보인다.
35년 전 프랑스로 해외입양이 되어 파리에서 배우이자 극작가로 살고 있는 ‘나나’. 그는 어느 날, 자신의 삶에 중요한 갈림길이 될 두 가지 소식을 받아들게 된다. 하나는 자신이 헤어진 애인의 아이를 임신했다는 사실. 또 하나는 그를 주인공으로 영화를 찍고 싶다는 한국의 대학생 ‘서영’의 이메일이다.
서영은 나나가 해외로 입양되기 전, 그를 보호했던 한 기관사가 지어 준 ‘문주’라는 이름의 의미를 찾아가는 과정을 영화에 담고 싶다며 나나를 설득하고, 결국 나나는 배 속의 작은 생명에게 ‘우주’라는 이름을 붙이고, 서영의 제안을 따라 이름의 기원을 알기 위해 한국행을 결심한다. 스크린 바깥의 인물들이었던 이들을 만나기 위해 인생에서 접힌 페이지였던 나라로 온 나나는 몇 달, 그 여름 동안 어떤 관계보다 끈끈하게 얽히며 서로를 알기 위해 애쓰는데…….
282 pages, ebook
First published July 5, 2019
16 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 6, 2026
4 stars!
A woman leaves her home in Paris to travel to her birthplace of Seoul, South Korea. Adopted across countries as a young girl, she is partaking in a small-scale documentary about her search for her birth and foster parents. Having grown up with no proper birth certificate or medical information on her birth details, she is in search of her family history and personal identity now that she is pregnant herself.
This novel takes the reader on a profound, poignant, thought-provoking journey into South Korea. The setting and landscape of Korean society and culture was palpable and truly impactful. Although the setting was a stand out piece of this beautifully written book, the story itself carries an unforgettable heaviness, emotion and importance that lingers long after the final page has been turned. This woman’s search for her sense of identity and self as an adoptee is what endears the story to the readers heart. Her vulnerability and longing was so powerfully written. The never-ending heartbreaking pull to understand choices made that impacted her entire future and the undeniable feel of being abandoned could be any adoptee’s story in any country.
The theme of pregnancy is not a main focus, yet holds incredible power over the storyline. The yearning to truly understand oneself before bringing a child into this world. Motherhood is brilliantly explored in many unique ways.
The kindness of strangers was a theme that delicately weaved its way through this story. Loneliness is layered in every chapter. Loneliness, abandonment and belonging are central aspects of this woman’s struggle with many unanswered questions surrounding her international adoption as a child. It will make your heart ache.
This slow burn story will surely leave a lasting impression on every reader. The writing is beautiful, unique and quiet. A book I will be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!
A woman leaves her home in Paris to travel to her birthplace of Seoul, South Korea. Adopted across countries as a young girl, she is partaking in a small-scale documentary about her search for her birth and foster parents. Having grown up with no proper birth certificate or medical information on her birth details, she is in search of her family history and personal identity now that she is pregnant herself.
This novel takes the reader on a profound, poignant, thought-provoking journey into South Korea. The setting and landscape of Korean society and culture was palpable and truly impactful. Although the setting was a stand out piece of this beautifully written book, the story itself carries an unforgettable heaviness, emotion and importance that lingers long after the final page has been turned. This woman’s search for her sense of identity and self as an adoptee is what endears the story to the readers heart. Her vulnerability and longing was so powerfully written. The never-ending heartbreaking pull to understand choices made that impacted her entire future and the undeniable feel of being abandoned could be any adoptee’s story in any country.
The theme of pregnancy is not a main focus, yet holds incredible power over the storyline. The yearning to truly understand oneself before bringing a child into this world. Motherhood is brilliantly explored in many unique ways.
The kindness of strangers was a theme that delicately weaved its way through this story. Loneliness is layered in every chapter. Loneliness, abandonment and belonging are central aspects of this woman’s struggle with many unanswered questions surrounding her international adoption as a child. It will make your heart ache.
This slow burn story will surely leave a lasting impression on every reader. The writing is beautiful, unique and quiet. A book I will be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!
March 10, 2026
Nana, a Korean woman adopted as a child into a French family, is pregnant. As she prepares for motherhood, she receives an offer from a young Korean documentary filmmaker to appear in a film about her past. She ends up in Seoul, revisiting key places from her early childhood, like the railway station where she was abandoned and the orphanage that briefly housed her. She also connects with an elderly restaurant owner, and learns of that woman’s own complex experience with international adoption.
This book was so incredibly moving and had me near tears at multiple points. The writing style is distinctly Korean, and will feel familiar to those who’ve read other books translated from that language. This book touches on so many interesting topics, from the hardship of growing up mixed-race in Korea, to survival sex work, to transracial adoption. It’s character-driven with a mostly quiet plot, but it absolutely drew me in.
Thank you to Doubleday Canada for gifting me a copy of this book!
This book was so incredibly moving and had me near tears at multiple points. The writing style is distinctly Korean, and will feel familiar to those who’ve read other books translated from that language. This book touches on so many interesting topics, from the hardship of growing up mixed-race in Korea, to survival sex work, to transracial adoption. It’s character-driven with a mostly quiet plot, but it absolutely drew me in.
Thank you to Doubleday Canada for gifting me a copy of this book!
March 21, 2026
Because a name is a house, Seoyeong's second email began.
I think our names are a kind of house where our identity or sense of self reside. People forget everything so quickly here. I truly believe that remembering a name is how we pay our respects to the forgotten worlds.
이름은 집이니까요.
서영의 두 번째 이메일은 이렇게 시작됐다.
이름은 우리의 정체성이랄지 존재감이 거주하는 집이라고 생각해요. 여기는 뭐든지 너무 빨리 잊고, 저는 이름 하나라도 제대로 기억하는 것이 사라진 세계에 대한 예의라고 믿습니다
Simple Heart (2026) is the translation by Jamie Chang of 단순한 진심 검색 (2019) by 조해진 (Cho Haejin), which in 한자 (hanja, i.e. Chinese characters) is rendered 趙海珍. The author's 2011 novel 로기완을 만났다 by 조해진 has previously been published in English translation as I Met Loh Kiwan, translated by by Ji-eun Lee.
I would not normally include the hanja rendition of an author's name - but here is it highly relevant.
The novel is narrated by Nana, aged around 40 as the novel opens in the present day. Or rather Nana is the name by which she has been known by her adoptive parents, in France, for the last 35 years, taken from a character in Luc Godard's Vivre sa vie (itself a name taken from Zola's novel).
But Nana cherishes another name, 문주 (Munju), the first name she remembers from her time in Korea. And actually her adoption story is complex - she has no memory of her birth parents, but her first memories are when she was found wandering on train tracks, seemingly abandoned, aged around 3. The train conductor who spotted and saved her, took temporary adoptive care of her and it was him who gave her the name 문주. But in Nana's memories, the train conductor's wife, while providing care, was clearly not keen on this arrangement becoming permanent, and after a year she was passed on to an orphanage, where her name was changed to 박 에스더 (Esther Pak), and from there she was adopted by a French couple and sent to that country.
그 기관사는 철로에서 나를 구한 사람이었다.
좀 더 정확히 표현한다면, 그는 자신이 운전하던 기차를 급정거하여 그 기차에 치일 뻔한 나를 구했다. 멈춰 선 기차 앞에서 겁에 질려 울고 있던 신원 미상의 여자아이를 그는 무슨 이유에선지 경찰서나 고아원에 바로 보내지 않았고, 대신 어머니와 살던 집으로 데려가 문주라고 부르며 보호해 주었다. 서영의 말대로 이름이 집이라면, 나는 그 이름 안에서 1년 가까이 거주한 셈이다.
It was the train conductor who saved me on the railroad tracks.
More precisely, he pulled the emergency brake and saved me from being run over. For whatever reason, he didn't take the scared, crying girl of unknown origin to the police station or orphanage; instead, he took her home, where he lived with his mother, gave her the name Munju, and protected her. If a name is a house, like Seoyeong said, I lived in that name for nearly a year.
"Munju" was never recorded in any documents or registered in official systems. It was only used by the train conductor, his mother, and some of their neighbors, and disappeared when I was sent to the orphanage.
Nana, who is a playwright and actress, has recently discovered she is pregnant from an ex-boyfriend, and has mentally Christened the unborn baby, of whose gender she is uncertain, 우주 (Wooju) - for universe.
Having taken part, one year earlier, in a documentary in Korea on adopted children returning to the country for the first time, she is approached by an amateur documentary maker, 서영 (Seoyeong) and she agrees to travel back to Korea, working with them to track down the railway conductor (who interests her more than her birth mother) and, in particular, to find the meaning, in hanja, of her name. She has always assumed it may mean door-pillar, but wants to find out as a way to help her process both the gratitude and the resentment she feels towards the train conductor, for both taking her in but then giving her up for adoption.
Here I should explain that traditionally the meaning of a Korean name would be chosen by the choice of the two different hanja that could phoentically be represented by the two 한글 (hangeul) syllables of the name - in the case of our children we chose the hangeul name first and retro-fitted the hanja.
It proves not to be straightforward to trace the origins of her story and track down the conductor (whose name she finds is 정우식, Jung Woosik), let alone discover the meaning of her name. And she also becomes entangled in a similar story by an elderly woman who lives in the same building, and also, like the train conductor, became involved with the care - then foreign adoption - of a child that is not her own (in this case, a story tangled up with the adverse effect of the long-term US military base in Seoul).
Korean names, particularly their underlying hanja, feature heavily in the text, not just of people but also place names, and the stories behind them (often tragic), as well as food - such as the 수수부꾸미 (Susubukkumi) which she remembers the conductor's wife making for her in their year together.
It is rather convenient for the story that Nana, despite leaving the country at 3 and adopted by French parents, speaks fluent Korean (she does explain why), and she has oddly specific memories of her time with Mr and Mrs Jung (again the novel gives a psychological explanation), which is indicative of the somewhat manipulatively sentimental nature of the text. Nevertheless a fascinating cultural read - 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
I think our names are a kind of house where our identity or sense of self reside. People forget everything so quickly here. I truly believe that remembering a name is how we pay our respects to the forgotten worlds.
이름은 집이니까요.
서영의 두 번째 이메일은 이렇게 시작됐다.
이름은 우리의 정체성이랄지 존재감이 거주하는 집이라고 생각해요. 여기는 뭐든지 너무 빨리 잊고, 저는 이름 하나라도 제대로 기억하는 것이 사라진 세계에 대한 예의라고 믿습니다
Simple Heart (2026) is the translation by Jamie Chang of 단순한 진심 검색 (2019) by 조해진 (Cho Haejin), which in 한자 (hanja, i.e. Chinese characters) is rendered 趙海珍. The author's 2011 novel 로기완을 만났다 by 조해진 has previously been published in English translation as I Met Loh Kiwan, translated by by Ji-eun Lee.
I would not normally include the hanja rendition of an author's name - but here is it highly relevant.
The novel is narrated by Nana, aged around 40 as the novel opens in the present day. Or rather Nana is the name by which she has been known by her adoptive parents, in France, for the last 35 years, taken from a character in Luc Godard's Vivre sa vie (itself a name taken from Zola's novel).
But Nana cherishes another name, 문주 (Munju), the first name she remembers from her time in Korea. And actually her adoption story is complex - she has no memory of her birth parents, but her first memories are when she was found wandering on train tracks, seemingly abandoned, aged around 3. The train conductor who spotted and saved her, took temporary adoptive care of her and it was him who gave her the name 문주. But in Nana's memories, the train conductor's wife, while providing care, was clearly not keen on this arrangement becoming permanent, and after a year she was passed on to an orphanage, where her name was changed to 박 에스더 (Esther Pak), and from there she was adopted by a French couple and sent to that country.
그 기관사는 철로에서 나를 구한 사람이었다.
좀 더 정확히 표현한다면, 그는 자신이 운전하던 기차를 급정거하여 그 기차에 치일 뻔한 나를 구했다. 멈춰 선 기차 앞에서 겁에 질려 울고 있던 신원 미상의 여자아이를 그는 무슨 이유에선지 경찰서나 고아원에 바로 보내지 않았고, 대신 어머니와 살던 집으로 데려가 문주라고 부르며 보호해 주었다. 서영의 말대로 이름이 집이라면, 나는 그 이름 안에서 1년 가까이 거주한 셈이다.
It was the train conductor who saved me on the railroad tracks.
More precisely, he pulled the emergency brake and saved me from being run over. For whatever reason, he didn't take the scared, crying girl of unknown origin to the police station or orphanage; instead, he took her home, where he lived with his mother, gave her the name Munju, and protected her. If a name is a house, like Seoyeong said, I lived in that name for nearly a year.
"Munju" was never recorded in any documents or registered in official systems. It was only used by the train conductor, his mother, and some of their neighbors, and disappeared when I was sent to the orphanage.
Nana, who is a playwright and actress, has recently discovered she is pregnant from an ex-boyfriend, and has mentally Christened the unborn baby, of whose gender she is uncertain, 우주 (Wooju) - for universe.
Having taken part, one year earlier, in a documentary in Korea on adopted children returning to the country for the first time, she is approached by an amateur documentary maker, 서영 (Seoyeong) and she agrees to travel back to Korea, working with them to track down the railway conductor (who interests her more than her birth mother) and, in particular, to find the meaning, in hanja, of her name. She has always assumed it may mean door-pillar, but wants to find out as a way to help her process both the gratitude and the resentment she feels towards the train conductor, for both taking her in but then giving her up for adoption.
Here I should explain that traditionally the meaning of a Korean name would be chosen by the choice of the two different hanja that could phoentically be represented by the two 한글 (hangeul) syllables of the name - in the case of our children we chose the hangeul name first and retro-fitted the hanja.
It proves not to be straightforward to trace the origins of her story and track down the conductor (whose name she finds is 정우식, Jung Woosik), let alone discover the meaning of her name. And she also becomes entangled in a similar story by an elderly woman who lives in the same building, and also, like the train conductor, became involved with the care - then foreign adoption - of a child that is not her own (in this case, a story tangled up with the adverse effect of the long-term US military base in Seoul).
Korean names, particularly their underlying hanja, feature heavily in the text, not just of people but also place names, and the stories behind them (often tragic), as well as food - such as the 수수부꾸미 (Susubukkumi) which she remembers the conductor's wife making for her in their year together.
It is rather convenient for the story that Nana, despite leaving the country at 3 and adopted by French parents, speaks fluent Korean (she does explain why), and she has oddly specific memories of her time with Mr and Mrs Jung (again the novel gives a psychological explanation), which is indicative of the somewhat manipulatively sentimental nature of the text. Nevertheless a fascinating cultural read - 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
January 3, 2026
Thank you to Libro.fm and Other Press for an advanced listener copy of Simple Heart by Cho Haejin, translated by Jamie Chang, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Simple Heart is a thought provoking look into one woman’s search for answers after her transracial adoption.
In this short novel, the author manages to include an impressive range of emotions and opinions. The story features Nana, formerly known as Ester Pak and Munju, a pregnant French playwright who travels to her native South Korea to take part in a documentary and to search for her birth story. I enjoyed the glimpses of Seoul as Nana returns to the train station where she was abandoned and the orphanage where her French parents adopted her. I found the backstory of her adoption from her French mother’s perspective to be deeply moving. As well as the strong connection that she makes with an old Korean woman who has her own adoption story. The novel tackles abandonment issues, the complicated issues related to transracial adoption, motherhood, and the difficult choices some women must make. I had some difficulty identifying with Nana and the author’s apparent dislike for adoption, and would have liked more of a resolution of Nana’s origin story. 3.5/5⭐️
The audiobook is narrated by Jean Yoo. I thought she did a great job capturing Nana’s emotions throughout the novel.
In this short novel, the author manages to include an impressive range of emotions and opinions. The story features Nana, formerly known as Ester Pak and Munju, a pregnant French playwright who travels to her native South Korea to take part in a documentary and to search for her birth story. I enjoyed the glimpses of Seoul as Nana returns to the train station where she was abandoned and the orphanage where her French parents adopted her. I found the backstory of her adoption from her French mother’s perspective to be deeply moving. As well as the strong connection that she makes with an old Korean woman who has her own adoption story. The novel tackles abandonment issues, the complicated issues related to transracial adoption, motherhood, and the difficult choices some women must make. I had some difficulty identifying with Nana and the author’s apparent dislike for adoption, and would have liked more of a resolution of Nana’s origin story. 3.5/5⭐️
The audiobook is narrated by Jean Yoo. I thought she did a great job capturing Nana’s emotions throughout the novel.
November 22, 2025
This small novel packs a lot in and it's incredibly thought provoking. Nana, formerly know as Munju, is a French Korean playwright, who is also a transracial adoptee, goes back to Korea to be part of a documentary, in search of her origin story. While there, she also befriends an older restaurant owner, who feeds her body and soul. This exploration of transracial adoptions through Munju's and another's as well as feelings of displacement and abandonment, capture why this is such a complex issue. And, it's only explorations of these lives is how better understanding can be attained.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
January 27, 2026
(3.25 rounded down) Character driven and introspective, this slow-paced novel feels 200 pages longer than it really is. While it was a bit repetitive, it touches on important topics such as interracial adoption and cultural displacement.
Anyone who is adopted or knows someone who is will likely align well with the protagonist who is yearning to find her identity through the history of her origin.
Thank you to Other Press for a physical ARC and thank you to Libro.fm for access to the ALC!
Anyone who is adopted or knows someone who is will likely align well with the protagonist who is yearning to find her identity through the history of her origin.
Thank you to Other Press for a physical ARC and thank you to Libro.fm for access to the ALC!
February 3, 2026
My library released the audio version a week early. I liked the depiction of some relationships, but the plot was extremely patchy. Characters' motivations were sometimes confusing. It also felt like periodically we would check in with the story, before the main character would get back to other things.
November 26, 2025
‘Simple Heart’ is a profoundly moving story of one woman’s journey of rediscovering her past and facing her traumas by traveling back to Korea, where she was born and abandoned as a child before being adopted.
It vaguely reminded me of the 2017 movie ‘Lion’ and the writing structure was reminiscent of Ocean Vuong’s ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’. I was consistently pulled into the story both with beautiful writing and the plot. I would highly recommend for those who are fans of literary fiction and any self-discovery/ character introspection novels.
The story was also multi-linear, and deviated from the original concept to include much larger societal themes and characters throughout that I found DEEPLY impressive for a book that clocks in at less than 250 pages.
My only hesitancy with any part of this book was the emphasis on stressing motherhood and heavily discouraging (and certain characters shaming abortion and adoption. In the current US political climate, this can be a nuanced issue. However, it’s also a nuanced issue in the book that the narrator herself is coping with, so I’m giving it some grace. Just know to expect it!
Over impression: Highly expressed, beautiful story, and I think will be a high contender for translated work awards next year (US release date is in Feb 2026, I read as an ARC (thank you!!))
Overall rating : 4.5/5 !
It vaguely reminded me of the 2017 movie ‘Lion’ and the writing structure was reminiscent of Ocean Vuong’s ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’. I was consistently pulled into the story both with beautiful writing and the plot. I would highly recommend for those who are fans of literary fiction and any self-discovery/ character introspection novels.
The story was also multi-linear, and deviated from the original concept to include much larger societal themes and characters throughout that I found DEEPLY impressive for a book that clocks in at less than 250 pages.
My only hesitancy with any part of this book was the emphasis on stressing motherhood and heavily discouraging (and certain characters shaming abortion and adoption. In the current US political climate, this can be a nuanced issue. However, it’s also a nuanced issue in the book that the narrator herself is coping with, so I’m giving it some grace. Just know to expect it!
Over impression: Highly expressed, beautiful story, and I think will be a high contender for translated work awards next year (US release date is in Feb 2026, I read as an ARC (thank you!!))
Overall rating : 4.5/5 !
December 13, 2025
“그러니까 하나의 생명을 외면하지 않고 자기 삶으로 끌어들이는 방식…”(130p)
어릴 적 프랑스로 입양된 주인공 문주는, 우연한 기회로 입양을 다룬 다큐멘터리를 촬영하기 위해 한국을 찾게 된다. 그 과정에서 그녀는 자신과 비슷한 사연을 지닌 아이를 해외로 입양 보냈던 낯선 이를 우연히 만나게 된다. 지금까지 문주를 버티게 해왔던 ‘철로에 버려졌다’는 왜곡된 기억과 그로부터 비롯된 분노는, 또 다른 입양아 복희의 이야기를 따라가며 드러나는 진실 앞에서 서서히 변화해 간다.
누군가가 아무 조건 없이 건넨 환대가 여러 사람의 우주를 조금씩 바꿔가는 과정.... 그 변화가 마음을 뭉클하게 만든다.
어릴 적 프랑스로 입양된 주인공 문주는, 우연한 기회로 입양을 다룬 다큐멘터리를 촬영하기 위해 한국을 찾게 된다. 그 과정에서 그녀는 자신과 비슷한 사연을 지닌 아이를 해외로 입양 보냈던 낯선 이를 우연히 만나게 된다. 지금까지 문주를 버티게 해왔던 ‘철로에 버려졌다’는 왜곡된 기억과 그로부터 비롯된 분노는, 또 다른 입양아 복희의 이야기를 따라가며 드러나는 진실 앞에서 서서히 변화해 간다.
누군가가 아무 조건 없이 건넨 환대가 여러 사람의 우주를 조금씩 바꿔가는 과정.... 그 변화가 마음을 뭉클하게 만든다.
March 2, 2026
7/10.
A lavishly written poorly constructed novel.
In the first half it also starts a bit slow, with the more poetic aspects of it tending too much towards more magical realist undertones.
A lavishly written poorly constructed novel.
In the first half it also starts a bit slow, with the more poetic aspects of it tending too much towards more magical realist undertones.
March 9, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴…
𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩… a heart that longs for one “simple” thing: to know where we come from, to understand 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺.
At the core of this story is 𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 — the chance a child gets to live a “better” life — and the lasting impact that 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 can have in adulthood… This lingering ache of feeling 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 by those who were supposed to love you the most.
The novel also explores 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥: the powerful bond between a mother and her child, even before birth… and how sometimes women who never had children can still love with the same depth.
Through Nana’s journey to find her roots, we see how complex and layered human beings are, and how deeply 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 (and parents) we become.
📖 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, and 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 are all themes explored in an authentic way, with 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨．
✈️ 🇰🇷I especially loved that the story was set in 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢, a country I had the chance to visit a few years ago ☺️
𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 🙌🏻
✨I received a gifted copy from DoubleDay Canada in exchange for an honest review
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴…
𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩… a heart that longs for one “simple” thing: to know where we come from, to understand 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺.
At the core of this story is 𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 — the chance a child gets to live a “better” life — and the lasting impact that 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 can have in adulthood… This lingering ache of feeling 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 by those who were supposed to love you the most.
The novel also explores 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥: the powerful bond between a mother and her child, even before birth… and how sometimes women who never had children can still love with the same depth.
Through Nana’s journey to find her roots, we see how complex and layered human beings are, and how deeply 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 (and parents) we become.
📖 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, and 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 are all themes explored in an authentic way, with 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨．
✈️ 🇰🇷I especially loved that the story was set in 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢, a country I had the chance to visit a few years ago ☺️
𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 🙌🏻
✨I received a gifted copy from DoubleDay Canada in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book is a quiet, moving journey that really sticks with you. It follows Nana, a woman who was adopted from Korea and raised in France. Now that she is pregnant, she returns to Seoul to film a documentary about her past. It is not a fast-paced mystery, but a slow and lyrical exploration of what it means to belong to a place or a person.
The heart of the story lies in Nana tracing the three different names she held before her adoption. Each name represents a different person who looked after her when she was just a toddler found at a train station. I loved how the author, Cho Hae-jin, focuses on the small acts of kindness from strangers rather than just the traditional biological family search.
One of the most touching parts is the relationship between Nana and a restaurant owner named Bokhee. Their bond is built over meals and shared silences. It shows how people who have lost everything can still find ways to care for one another. The book highlights the "invisible" women in society who carry heavy burdens but still act with incredible selflessness.
The historical context of South Korea in the 70s and 80s adds a lot of depth to the narrative. You get a sense of why so many children were sent abroad and the social pressure women faced during that time. It made me think about the "simple heart" mentioned in the title, which refers to the pure intent of the people who saved Nana when she was most vulnerable.
I found the ending to be bittersweet and very realistic. It doesn't offer easy answers or perfect reunions, but it gives Nana a sense of peace as she prepares to become a mother herself. The prose is beautiful and has a hazy, dreamlike quality that matches the feeling of trying to remember a childhood that was lost.
I'm highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories about identity and human connection. It is a tenderly written novel that reminds us how we are all connected by chains of small, forgotten gestures. It is a story that feels both deeply personal and universal.
Thank you to Other Press for the physical ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The heart of the story lies in Nana tracing the three different names she held before her adoption. Each name represents a different person who looked after her when she was just a toddler found at a train station. I loved how the author, Cho Hae-jin, focuses on the small acts of kindness from strangers rather than just the traditional biological family search.
One of the most touching parts is the relationship between Nana and a restaurant owner named Bokhee. Their bond is built over meals and shared silences. It shows how people who have lost everything can still find ways to care for one another. The book highlights the "invisible" women in society who carry heavy burdens but still act with incredible selflessness.
The historical context of South Korea in the 70s and 80s adds a lot of depth to the narrative. You get a sense of why so many children were sent abroad and the social pressure women faced during that time. It made me think about the "simple heart" mentioned in the title, which refers to the pure intent of the people who saved Nana when she was most vulnerable.
I found the ending to be bittersweet and very realistic. It doesn't offer easy answers or perfect reunions, but it gives Nana a sense of peace as she prepares to become a mother herself. The prose is beautiful and has a hazy, dreamlike quality that matches the feeling of trying to remember a childhood that was lost.
I'm highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories about identity and human connection. It is a tenderly written novel that reminds us how we are all connected by chains of small, forgotten gestures. It is a story that feels both deeply personal and universal.
Thank you to Other Press for the physical ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 9, 2026
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC! All opinions are my own. I’d rate this closer to a 3.5/5.
This was a short but deep cut. A French playwright, Nana, learns she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s child and is overcome with the need to further explore her own childhood, adoption and origin story in Korea. She travels to Korea after agreeing to star in a documentary exploring her life to really launch the exploration of her adoption and begin tracing what she can track down of her story & roots. While in Korea, she befriends an older woman and quickly builds a strong although short-lived relationship with her while exploring and experiencing such a deep and wide array of emotions and identity - from adoption and abandonment, to pregnancy and motherhood.
The study on adopted children and the experience and emotions they go through was thoughtfully illustrated. Feelings of abandonment and trying to find connection and a sense of belonging, and how that is experienced from a child’s perspective all the way to adulthood was deeply emotional.
The ending felt a bit rushed for our MC, Nana. Or perhaps just not as clearly resolute as I’d have liked it. It seemed the focus continued to shift more towards the elderly woman. While there was a bit more experience and story to be shared there that overlapped and resonated with the overall story, it was not about our MC and felt like we got off track.
This was a short but deep cut. A French playwright, Nana, learns she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s child and is overcome with the need to further explore her own childhood, adoption and origin story in Korea. She travels to Korea after agreeing to star in a documentary exploring her life to really launch the exploration of her adoption and begin tracing what she can track down of her story & roots. While in Korea, she befriends an older woman and quickly builds a strong although short-lived relationship with her while exploring and experiencing such a deep and wide array of emotions and identity - from adoption and abandonment, to pregnancy and motherhood.
The study on adopted children and the experience and emotions they go through was thoughtfully illustrated. Feelings of abandonment and trying to find connection and a sense of belonging, and how that is experienced from a child’s perspective all the way to adulthood was deeply emotional.
The ending felt a bit rushed for our MC, Nana. Or perhaps just not as clearly resolute as I’d have liked it. It seemed the focus continued to shift more towards the elderly woman. While there was a bit more experience and story to be shared there that overlapped and resonated with the overall story, it was not about our MC and felt like we got off track.
March 17, 2026
SIMPLE HEART by Cho Haejin, tr. by Jamie Chang is a slow-burning novel about a a Korean transnational adoptee and her search for answers around her adoption and where she came from. Shortly after she discovers she is pregnant, Nana (who was Munju as an infant and Esther Pak as a child) is approached by a Korean documentary filmmaker about her story. Yearning to know her own history, Nana agrees to be filmed for the documentary and heads to Korea. There, what starts out as one woman’s story turns into a thoughtful exploration of the complexities of adoption, belonging, motherhood, and the reckoning that happens when the three intersect.
As I mentioned, this is a quiet, internal novel. But the stillness in this should not be mistaken as monotony. In fact, it was the interiority of the book that had my heart racing and breaking for Nana. It pushed me into moments of silent reflection as I sat and witnessed her experience the reverberations of the choices of her mothers while she herself was becoming one. And how her journey both ending and beginning at the end of the book was heartbreaking but realistic, especially in the way that people cope to move forward.
I’ll be thinking about this one for some time.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
As I mentioned, this is a quiet, internal novel. But the stillness in this should not be mistaken as monotony. In fact, it was the interiority of the book that had my heart racing and breaking for Nana. It pushed me into moments of silent reflection as I sat and witnessed her experience the reverberations of the choices of her mothers while she herself was becoming one. And how her journey both ending and beginning at the end of the book was heartbreaking but realistic, especially in the way that people cope to move forward.
I’ll be thinking about this one for some time.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Simple Heart is a quietly devastating and deeply introspective novel that explores identity, motherhood, and the long shadow of abandonment with rare emotional precision. Through Nana a Korean playwright adopted by a French family Cho Haejin traces a life shaped by multiple names, cultures, and losses, revealing how the past persists even when buried beneath years of reinvention.
As Nana prepares to become a mother herself, her pregnancy awakens an urgent need to understand her origins: from her life in France, to her childhood as Esther Pak in a Korean orphanage, and finally to Munju, the infant abandoned on railway tracks in Seoul. The novel unfolds with restraint and grace, allowing memory to surface slowly through encounters, silences, and return. Cho’s prose is understated yet piercing, capturing the complexity of belonging without offering easy resolution.
With sensitivity and moral clarity, Simple Heart illuminates the emotional realities of international adoption, the legacy of US military presence in Korea, and the fragile bonds that define family. It is a novel of reckoning and recognition one that honors the quiet courage required to face who we were in order to understand who we are becoming.
As Nana prepares to become a mother herself, her pregnancy awakens an urgent need to understand her origins: from her life in France, to her childhood as Esther Pak in a Korean orphanage, and finally to Munju, the infant abandoned on railway tracks in Seoul. The novel unfolds with restraint and grace, allowing memory to surface slowly through encounters, silences, and return. Cho’s prose is understated yet piercing, capturing the complexity of belonging without offering easy resolution.
With sensitivity and moral clarity, Simple Heart illuminates the emotional realities of international adoption, the legacy of US military presence in Korea, and the fragile bonds that define family. It is a novel of reckoning and recognition one that honors the quiet courage required to face who we were in order to understand who we are becoming.
March 1, 2026
Simple Lives was a surprisingly quick read. I found myself fully pulled in to the story and finished it in one evening.
Thank you to Doubleday Canada for my gifted copy for review!
Simple Heart by Cho Haejin was previously published in Korean, and the English translation by Jamie Chang released on Jan. 27.
It's the story of Nana, previously known as Munju and Esther Pak. She was found as a young child on the train tracks at the Cheongnyangni station in Seoul, apparently abandoned.
Years later and pregnant with her first child, Nana agrees to take part in a documentary on Korean children who went through the adoption system.
Back in Seoul, Nana reflects on her French adoptive parents Henri and Lisa, and meets a woman who had her own experience with fostering a child.
Simple Heart is not overly sentimental, until it is. Nana/Munju peels back the layers on not only her story, but others. The ending, specifically the final page, was heart-wrenching.
I had the pleasure of visiting Korea last year, so this was a factor in becoming so fully pulled into that environment.
Recommended!
Thank you to Doubleday Canada for my gifted copy for review!
Simple Heart by Cho Haejin was previously published in Korean, and the English translation by Jamie Chang released on Jan. 27.
It's the story of Nana, previously known as Munju and Esther Pak. She was found as a young child on the train tracks at the Cheongnyangni station in Seoul, apparently abandoned.
Years later and pregnant with her first child, Nana agrees to take part in a documentary on Korean children who went through the adoption system.
Back in Seoul, Nana reflects on her French adoptive parents Henri and Lisa, and meets a woman who had her own experience with fostering a child.
Simple Heart is not overly sentimental, until it is. Nana/Munju peels back the layers on not only her story, but others. The ending, specifically the final page, was heart-wrenching.
I had the pleasure of visiting Korea last year, so this was a factor in becoming so fully pulled into that environment.
Recommended!
January 26, 2026
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC. The narrator of this book was excellent. I do have a bit of trouble following the names of Asian characters because they can be very similar when listening to an audiobook. However, I really love this story. Being adopted myself, I can understand the need to find where you came from and through this story I was able to get an appreciation of the feelings of international adoptees.
While it is not an historical fiction book, I did learn a lot about the presence of the US military in Korea and the impact that it left behind. I also liked the way that there were multiple adoption stories discussed throughout the book and the realistic storyline that not everyone may find their origin.
While it is not an historical fiction book, I did learn a lot about the presence of the US military in Korea and the impact that it left behind. I also liked the way that there were multiple adoption stories discussed throughout the book and the realistic storyline that not everyone may find their origin.
March 20, 2026
A Simple Heart is an incredibly tender and poignant journey of the discovery of pasts, family and identity. As one one woman agrees to return to Korea and navigate the origins of her adoption alongside a small documentary team, she unravels not just her story but of those of newfound friends. The journey delves headfirst into childhood abandonment and a loss of belonging. Where does a child of two worlds fit in to their own narrative? While reminiscent, it equally informs readers about the threads of international adoption & 20th century military presence in Korea. A fascinating and moving read.
Thank you Double Day Canada for this copy. All opinions are my own
Thank you Double Day Canada for this copy. All opinions are my own
August 12, 2025
A profound book which led me to think. This book depicts those adopted children’s self-struggle and unsureness of their own identities very well. I was touched by the way woman helps woman, the kindness that a stranger can give to a baby.
March 7, 2026
Korean playwright Nana was adopted by a French couple when she was a young girl. Three decades later, she returns to South Korea to locate her parents and the man who found her abandoned at a train station. Though she faces insurmountable challenges on her quest, she meets an older woman who owns a small restaurant. In learning this woman's history with adoption, she's better able to come to terms with her past and the child she's about to give birth to. Exceptionally rich and emotive novel that comes with the highest recommendation.
March 17, 2026
A novel about a Korean (Nana)adopted from France who returns to South Korea to star/ be filmed for a documentary. Nana befriends an old woman who runs a restaurant below where Nana is staying. A little sad at times bur an interesting read.
June 10, 2024
太啰嗦了。主角的内心戏我很难共情，特别是她怀孕时候对子宫内那个胚胎的感情，难以理解。故事本身挺动人，但加上这些难以让人理解的内心戏就变成了咯噔文学。
January 27, 2026
Such a wonderful view of complex situations and decisions.
February 19, 2026
I’m in mourning now why’d you have to DO ME LIKE THIS Cho Haejin
I love this book so much <333 the writing is beautiful
I love this book so much <333 the writing is beautiful
February 19, 2026
It's high time we center adoptees' experience, as traumatic and heartbreaking as they can be, in stories about adoption.
March 13, 2026
Depressing. I have yet to find East Asian book with more ethusiastic view of life.
March 6, 2026
similar thoughtful/somber tone as Loh Kiwan. comparisons to Past Lives are tenuous at best
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews