Description: "When most of their peers were moving in with romantic partners and having children, Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo chose independence--savoring solitude, quiet mornings, and the unmitigated freedom of living alone. But in their forties, something shifted, and they were met with a new, unexpected loneliness. Refusing to settle for the outdated choice between marriage or isolation, Hana and Sunwoo made a radical decision: to buy a home and live together--not as lovers, not as roommates, but as chosen family. Now a bustling household of two women and four cats, Hana and Sunwoo still value solitude, but can do so while sharing a life and its meaning with someone else. Together they navigate the challenges and comforts of cohabiting in midlife, the growing pains of interdependence and the unexpected rewards of compromise when you've grown set in your ways. From sick days to career wins to aging parents and beach-side retirement plans, they are redefining domestic bliss on their own terms, where love, partnership, and home are defined not by tradition, but by choie"--
Brief description:
Gene Png is a literary translator and illustrator based in Seoul. She was awarded the Grand Prize in Poetry at the 53rd The Korea Times' Translation Awards, and was the National Centre for Writing's Korean Prose Mentee in 2023 where she was mentored by Anton Hur. Her translation of Cheon Seon-Ran's THE SAVIOR AT NIGHT was published by Bloomsbury in 2025.
Review Quotes:
"The best way I can describe the content of the book is that it is JD Vance's actual living nightmare... lashings of cutesiness -- like referring to themselves as "pawrents" (Gene Png's translation) -- almost disguise the radicalism of the book's project. Almost." - The New York Times
"Presented in propulsive alternating chapters, their journey together is an engaging, encouraging read, vulnerably revealing the struggles, joyfully celebrating their successes." - Booklist
"A winning testament to the power of friendship." - Publishers Weekly
"Charming and heartwarming." - Kirkus Review
"Two Women Living Together is a wonderfully calming and cosy read. I always adore stories of women who choose to live beyond the confines of cultural expectation--and this book might just be my new favourite!" - Emma Gannon, author of Table for One