Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner

From the indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast, an unflinching, powerful, deeply moving memoir about growing up mixed-race, Korean food, losing her Korean mother, and forging her own identity.

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.

As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band - and meeting the man who would become her husband - her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Thank you to Gaby over at Picador books for my gifted copy!

I read this with my book buddy Kath, we took our time and talked about each part, and I loved it. 

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book, but I was really surprised at how much I liked it. First off, the main story is Michelle’s mother finding out she has terminal cancer, and then the three of them (Michelle, her mother and her father) trying to come to terms with what’s happening. It’s a sad story, and I cried, but there was so much love too. The stories of the bonding over the years were so heartwarming.

Another major part of the story is food. Now I love food, but wow does Michelle’s family like their food! Oh the descriptions had my mouth watering at times. But there is a deep connection with the family through food, and Michelle told it so beautifully. There’s a scene where Michelle is at a food hall and is watching and describing the other people around her, it’s so mesmerising.

I loved the trips they took, and at times felt like I needed to reach in and help them in sticky situations. I felt you forget sometimes this isn’t fiction, and you’re brought back down to earth with heartbreaking scenes. 

Please read this book, it’s beautiful. Thanks Kath for reading and chatting along with me.

Now, off to find more Korean recipes!