CRYING IN H MART
by Michelle Zauner
Appearing on many recommended reading lists in the past year, I definitely found that Crying in H Mart lived up to the hype. Although Zauner might not be the most skilled writer, she presents her story so truthfully and vulnerably I found I couldn't help but be drawn in.
This jam-packed memoir begins with Zauner’s experience as the only half-Korean, half-white kid in her school in the rural pacific north-west. Her relationship with her Korean mother ebbs and flows between an intense desire to please and the urge to get as far away as possible. With the distance of college and her first years living on her own, Zauner appreciates more the sacrifices her mother made for her and the great care she took to make her and her father’s life better. But just as she feels their relationship is “getting to the good part,” her mother is diagnosed with cancer.
The rest of the story is Zauner’s journey nursing, supporting and ultimately saying goodbye to her mother, just as she is on the cusp of beginning her own adult life. Food and cooking play a huge part in the story as Zauner seeks to repay her mother’s care and to connect to her Korean heritage. The descriptions of everything from kimchi to bossam will definitely leave you craving a big Korean meal! I found Crying in H Mart heartfelt and moving and recommend it if you don't mind a good cry. (Lily)
