A review by sephranix
If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim

5.0

I read this book in bursts, because I really did not want it to end. This was a really well-written, engrossing story told from multiple points of view over the same periods of time. I felt for Haemi all through this novel. She made choices to put her family's well-being before her own happiness, but tried to take some joy in her daughters, even though she never really got the happiness she was looking for.

Spoiler

One of the things that really struck me about this novel was its portrayal of Haemi's mental health. She clearly suffered from postpartum depression in a time when she was expected to "just deal with it." Jisoo even says at one point that it's her burden as a mother and he has no sympathy for her. I also felt like Haemi loved her daughters, but she didn't really want to be a mother. She became a mother in an effort to love her husband and form her family, but I never really got the feeling that it was what she wanted.

Overall, definitely read this book.