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A review by pageafter_paige
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Wow what a powerful book. I think as someone who isn’t/can’t speak Korean that the audiobook was the way to go because I was able to hear Michelle speak the language with the pronunciation, inflection, tone, etc.
Michelle opens up to us about being a mixed child and her relationship with her Korean mother. Much of their relationship centers around food which is a big theme throughout and definitely made me hungry. But to them it’s more than hunger. It’s culture, and connection to each other and their roots.
One of the most powerful displays of Michelle and her moms connection can be seen through Michelle’s first two words as a baby (iykyk). Even Michelle’s relationship with her father is somewhat run through her mother.
My favorite quote can be found in the last chapter: “If there was a god, it seemed my mother must have had her foot on his neck, demanding good things come my way. That if we had to be ripped apart right at our turning point, just when things were really starting to get good, the least god could do was make a few of her daughter’s pipe dreams come true.”
Michelle opens up to us about being a mixed child and her relationship with her Korean mother. Much of their relationship centers around food which is a big theme throughout and definitely made me hungry. But to them it’s more than hunger. It’s culture, and connection to each other and their roots.
One of the most powerful displays of Michelle and her moms connection can be seen through Michelle’s first two words as a baby (iykyk). Even Michelle’s relationship with her father is somewhat run through her mother.
My favorite quote can be found in the last chapter: “If there was a god, it seemed my mother must have had her foot on his neck, demanding good things come my way. That if we had to be ripped apart right at our turning point, just when things were really starting to get good, the least god could do was make a few of her daughter’s pipe dreams come true.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism