A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang

Lee Onhwa, Slin Jung

$35

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

Korean

Michael Joseph
17 February 2026

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Horror & ghost stories; Fantasy; Fiction in translation

A wonderfully comforting novel of family, food and belonging from a Korean bestseller - the perfect read for fans of The Dallergut Dream Department Store and The Midnight Library

When twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa loses her grandmother, enigmatic proprietor of the Hwawoldang, she decides to respect her wishes by keeping the store going for at least a month, between the hours of 10pm and midnight. She has never learnt to make the traditional desserts herself, and hopes to learn more about her grandmother.

On her very first day at work, she is soon interrupted by one of her grandmother's most regular visitors, who hints that Hwawoldang is no ordinary pastry shop, and its customers not entirely alive...

With each new customer at the store, Yeon-hwa is taken into their memories - but will this bring her the closure she craves, and continue her grandmother's legacy of aiding those left in the land of the living?

By: Lee Onhwa
Translated by: Slin Jung
Imprint: Michael Joseph
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 205mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 326g
ISBN: 9780241776858
ISBN 10: 0241776856
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 17 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lee Onhwa is a pseudonym for a bestselling, prizewinning author. She worked as a freelance ghostwriter from 2018 to early 2020, crafting works that showcased the insights of successful entrepreneurs. However, she found herself wanting to write her own stories. In 2021, she published her first novel and has written numerous since to much acclaim under an alternate pen name. A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang is her first novel as Lee Onhwa, and it has sold in a record breaking eleven territories pre-publication in Korea. She lives in Seoul.