taylorsevalia's review against another edition
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Abortion, and Alcoholism
sundayfever's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, and Car accident
espea's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
scmiller's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Vomit
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Bullying, Car accident, Drug use, Racism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity and Religious bigotry
undecidedpersonality's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Excrement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
thisbookrox's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse and Alcoholism
molly_rose's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, and Cancer
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Abortion, Body shaming, and Addiction
writerbarbie's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion
ravenph's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Racism
gracer's review against another edition
5.0
Unfortunately for me, I read it on a kindle library book, and now I can't seem to access my notes anywhere. (Not through goodreads and not through the Libby app, I've read all the FAQs and questions, I swear.) Oh well. This is probably going to be a re-read at some point anyway.
This book is exceptional: Zauner writes about the tragic loss of her much-too-young mother and manages to strike a perfect tone. It isn't whiny or complainy. It isn't cold and distanced. It isn't overly indulgent. She seamlessly combines everything: memories of childhood visits to South Korea, where her mother is from; growing up Asian-American in the small city of Eugene; the sort of angst and frustration and rebelliousness that is often born of youth early adulthood; and the grave, bleak diagnosis of mother and her mother's subsequent treatment and care.
Furthermore, she does not shy away from the awful things -- terrible words members of the family sometimes said to each other, reasons she rebelled -- and then she does an exceptional job of showing the love of the family despite these things. She reminds us that families can sometimes cause any of us the most unbelievable pain, even the "best" ones. As I read this book, I thought that in many ways this would be a good book for a new parent to read, as an example of what not to do but also as a reminder that no one is perfect, that parents have been making mistakes for as long as there have been parents and not all parents are horrible for it.
She dances so gracefully around the complicated topic of her father, with whom she has a complicated and even resentful relationship. She addresses her issues but is at the same time very respectful, and all the while the book is dedicated completely to her mother - none of the father complications take a way from that, it is still only through the lens of her mother and her mother's death.
There is also so much food writing in this. I suppose that is somewhat implied by the title, but discreetly so, I would say, and nicely done. Be warned, you'll get hungry. But food is just another mediary through which Zauner navigates not only her identity and her relationship with her mother; it's also a reflection of her emotional changes throughout her mother's illness. It ties everything together.
When I started reading this book, I hadn't made it far before I found a line about growing up without a diaspora that really resonated with me. I wish I could find my notes and highlights now! I knew I was in for something good, and it just continued to be that. Even though it's such a tough and serious topic, it never dragged me down. I found this book so easy to read, like I just glided through it, stopping only to highlight striking phrases. Just beautiful. It lives up to the hype. I'm in awe of what Zauner did here. Read it.
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Car accident and Drug abuse