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A review by aecorsilva
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
recently, i’ve been having random panic attacks about the death of myself and my mother. occuring more frequently in the evenings, i’ll go look for her in my house and then sob into her shoulder, an outpouring of misplaced grief and fear of the greatest unknowns. even as I’m typing this very long review, i’m overcome with fear i’m missing my mother’s final moments.
recently, i’ve also been thinking about my connection to greek culture. i’m a third-generation greek kid, who’s barely greek at all, who doesn’t really know how to properly make the food and knows only the basics in the language. i’m finding myself longing for stronger cultural connections, but I have no idea how to create those.
by pure coincidence, i reserved this book based off of a tiktok recommendation, with no knowledge of what it was about, and then had it come three months later, last week. and my god, it has been the best thing I could have chosen to read right now. zauner tells of her korean mother: her relationship with michelle and her father, her food, her relatives, and then of her passing from cancer in her fifties. she writes simply, but beautifully: the simplest lines left me absolutely sobbing. as an outsider to korean culture, the food and traditions are perfectly explained, a grounding of the reader in new territory. i found myself raptly following her family’s story, yet also seeing how aspects of her experience reflected mine. zauner describes each individual in a uniquely human way, transcending the written word into the reader’s reality. i’m amazed at the story and fully intend to reread it someday, but for now my eyes are too wet, so i will instead check out the music from japanese breakfast. some books remain as stories, but crying in h mart came into my life at the perfect time and intersected beautifully with my reality. to michelle zauner: thank you so much.
recently, i’ve also been thinking about my connection to greek culture. i’m a third-generation greek kid, who’s barely greek at all, who doesn’t really know how to properly make the food and knows only the basics in the language. i’m finding myself longing for stronger cultural connections, but I have no idea how to create those.
by pure coincidence, i reserved this book based off of a tiktok recommendation, with no knowledge of what it was about, and then had it come three months later, last week. and my god, it has been the best thing I could have chosen to read right now. zauner tells of her korean mother: her relationship with michelle and her father, her food, her relatives, and then of her passing from cancer in her fifties. she writes simply, but beautifully: the simplest lines left me absolutely sobbing. as an outsider to korean culture, the food and traditions are perfectly explained, a grounding of the reader in new territory. i found myself raptly following her family’s story, yet also seeing how aspects of her experience reflected mine. zauner describes each individual in a uniquely human way, transcending the written word into the reader’s reality. i’m amazed at the story and fully intend to reread it someday, but for now my eyes are too wet, so i will instead check out the music from japanese breakfast. some books remain as stories, but crying in h mart came into my life at the perfect time and intersected beautifully with my reality. to michelle zauner: thank you so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Minor: Abortion