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A review by jcstokes95
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hi reader. This is an unkind review for unkind people. If you like this book, you should find a nice five star review. I will just make you upset, and I’m a nice dude, I don’t want to upset you! Go get a tea and relax somewhere else.
It took me 9 months to finish this book. And if you have talked to me in the last nine months about books, I have already mentioned it. One of the most disappointing parts about this book, is I can almost see the appeal of it. I see people have given it five stars and that almost makes sense. Except, that this book is terrible. It was the biggest waste of my reading time in 2022. It seemed to continue expanding and expanding. And the day I finished it I felt a surge of relief like nothing else in my life. After I write this review, I will at last be free of this. Out damned spot!
This book, follows two sisters, who are both insufferable, Jayne and June. Jayne, the younger sister, has frittered away her life as fashion school and continues to date manipulative dirtbags because she has no self-worth. She has a severe eating disorder which is both a big part of the book and not a part of the book at all. June, the eldest, is a tightass with a big shot job and has always been a bit of a mean, judgmental older sister. But I guess these two are supposed to be very close, even though they have no respect for one another throughout the whole text, because they grew up in a very stressful home with first-gen immigrant parents. Also, June has cancer and is stealing Jayne’s insurance.
That’s your plot wrap up.
Anyway, I have so many thoughts, I think we should really just bullet point this one.
-> This relationship between the sisters makes no sense to me. I see people saying it’s relatable but I don’t even get how they feel about each other. They spend most of the book punching down on each other, insulting each other and providing no support for each other. But we are supposed to believe they are deeply enmeshed with each other. I don’t buy it at all. Like, I have a complicated sibling relationship (understatement of century) but would not call my sibling “a spare” or say “you don’t count”.
-> The eating disorder. Jayne has an eating disorder which gets the screentime of a small dog in a romcom. But then, in the literal last 20 pages of the book goes into treatment with no reservations or argument. The two characters have had almost no previous conversations about it before this. Which, is a helluva thing considering that’s not really how eating disorders work. Also, it feels like the ending to an entirely different book? Like, weirdly, this section was very relatable and profound, but I have no clue how we ended up in this mini essay from the previous story.
-> These are the most unlikable characters of all time. I don’t usually enjoy an unlikable character, but I knew I was toast because at one point June became so horrendous to me, I almost felt okay with her dying.
-> Every man in this book is horrible. Including Patrick, who is supposed to be the “good guy”, who also briefly implies that Jayne is being very forward and slutty. But who also slept with her while he had a girlfriend and at no point relayed this info to her? Every man in this was vomit-inducing (she even vomits on him at one point, lol, good call girl, that’s the vibe.)
-> Did anyone make any sense of the dead baby shit? Or why the mom ran away for a month? I’m sure this would be disruptive but also idk, this whole emotional response from Jayne seems whack.
-> Next, we must talk about the writing. There is this trendy thing in the literary fiction world, where authors overwrite their stories to create an air of authenticity. And this is where I can most understand this books high ratings. Sometimes, Mary Choi writes a beautiful sentence. And often the emotion feels incredibly authentic; it hits bone. But then, I think about Jayne, who seems like a complete trainwreck with no emotional intelligence (or regular intelligence) and I realize there is no way a girl who speaks the dialogue she speaks would have these thoughts. It feels vastly unnatural. I respect that this is an attempt at a rich inner life, but this character felt so irredeemably foolish to me that this just seemed confusing. It's not that people with low self-esteem or mental illness can’t be witty or observant. It’s that every word she actually says, and every action tell me she is not witty or observant.
A girl like this would not refer to herself going to “a dear friend’s” house. I would argue that no one says that out loud, but okay. But I have to mention this quote, because it has been living in my mind rent-free since I read it last June:
“A tidal loathing rolls through me. She's so girlish, so delicate and quintessentially lovely that biological truths on her are blushingly seductive. Titillating and carnal. It's a subversion that requires nothing from you. Arousal that makes you feel like a feminist. Sometimes the female gaze is just as systematically toxic the way it postures provocation.” (p71)
I have had 6 months to think about this paragraph, and I still have no fucking idea what the fuck she is talking about. Dude, I paid so much many for an English degree. I read this paragraph and felt pure rage. IDK, I read if so many times and it broke my brain. Can you please tell me what this means? Like, I get that she’s jealous of the girl but also, I don’t understand any of these choices. I seriously think about this all the time, I’m so sorry to everyone I have called to ask what they think of this weird ass paragraph (Anna, Aunt Michelle, my mom, etc.). It’s possible I’m just dumb but I think it’s that the book is very overwritten.
Anyway, the takeaway here is that Mark H.K Choi’s books could probably be poetic, lovely pieces for me if a good editor could strip back some of the weird fluff. And I might like them considerably more if the characters were not so detestable. If I were a kinder person, rating on merit alone, this would actually be a 1.75 rounded up. But, this experience can only be described as one star for me. Please don’t take this personally. I really hope this author doesn’t read reviews. I’m sure she’s a nice lady.
(cover and end papers, 5 star, omg)
It took me 9 months to finish this book. And if you have talked to me in the last nine months about books, I have already mentioned it. One of the most disappointing parts about this book, is I can almost see the appeal of it. I see people have given it five stars and that almost makes sense. Except, that this book is terrible. It was the biggest waste of my reading time in 2022. It seemed to continue expanding and expanding. And the day I finished it I felt a surge of relief like nothing else in my life. After I write this review, I will at last be free of this. Out damned spot!
This book, follows two sisters, who are both insufferable, Jayne and June. Jayne, the younger sister, has frittered away her life as fashion school and continues to date manipulative dirtbags because she has no self-worth. She has a severe eating disorder which is both a big part of the book and not a part of the book at all. June, the eldest, is a tightass with a big shot job and has always been a bit of a mean, judgmental older sister. But I guess these two are supposed to be very close, even though they have no respect for one another throughout the whole text, because they grew up in a very stressful home with first-gen immigrant parents. Also, June has cancer and is stealing Jayne’s insurance.
That’s your plot wrap up.
Anyway, I have so many thoughts, I think we should really just bullet point this one.
-> This relationship between the sisters makes no sense to me. I see people saying it’s relatable but I don’t even get how they feel about each other. They spend most of the book punching down on each other, insulting each other and providing no support for each other. But we are supposed to believe they are deeply enmeshed with each other. I don’t buy it at all. Like, I have a complicated sibling relationship (understatement of century) but would not call my sibling “a spare” or say “you don’t count”.
-> The eating disorder. Jayne has an eating disorder which gets the screentime of a small dog in a romcom. But then, in the literal last 20 pages of the book goes into treatment with no reservations or argument. The two characters have had almost no previous conversations about it before this. Which, is a helluva thing considering that’s not really how eating disorders work. Also, it feels like the ending to an entirely different book? Like, weirdly, this section was very relatable and profound, but I have no clue how we ended up in this mini essay from the previous story.
-> These are the most unlikable characters of all time. I don’t usually enjoy an unlikable character, but I knew I was toast because at one point June became so horrendous to me, I almost felt okay with her dying.
-> Every man in this book is horrible. Including Patrick, who is supposed to be the “good guy”, who also briefly implies that Jayne is being very forward and slutty. But who also slept with her while he had a girlfriend and at no point relayed this info to her? Every man in this was vomit-inducing (she even vomits on him at one point, lol, good call girl, that’s the vibe.)
-> Did anyone make any sense of the dead baby shit? Or why the mom ran away for a month? I’m sure this would be disruptive but also idk, this whole emotional response from Jayne seems whack.
-> Next, we must talk about the writing. There is this trendy thing in the literary fiction world, where authors overwrite their stories to create an air of authenticity. And this is where I can most understand this books high ratings. Sometimes, Mary Choi writes a beautiful sentence. And often the emotion feels incredibly authentic; it hits bone. But then, I think about Jayne, who seems like a complete trainwreck with no emotional intelligence (or regular intelligence) and I realize there is no way a girl who speaks the dialogue she speaks would have these thoughts. It feels vastly unnatural. I respect that this is an attempt at a rich inner life, but this character felt so irredeemably foolish to me that this just seemed confusing. It's not that people with low self-esteem or mental illness can’t be witty or observant. It’s that every word she actually says, and every action tell me she is not witty or observant.
A girl like this would not refer to herself going to “a dear friend’s” house. I would argue that no one says that out loud, but okay. But I have to mention this quote, because it has been living in my mind rent-free since I read it last June:
“A tidal loathing rolls through me. She's so girlish, so delicate and quintessentially lovely that biological truths on her are blushingly seductive. Titillating and carnal. It's a subversion that requires nothing from you. Arousal that makes you feel like a feminist. Sometimes the female gaze is just as systematically toxic the way it postures provocation.” (p71)
I have had 6 months to think about this paragraph, and I still have no fucking idea what the fuck she is talking about. Dude, I paid so much many for an English degree. I read this paragraph and felt pure rage. IDK, I read if so many times and it broke my brain. Can you please tell me what this means? Like, I get that she’s jealous of the girl but also, I don’t understand any of these choices. I seriously think about this all the time, I’m so sorry to everyone I have called to ask what they think of this weird ass paragraph (Anna, Aunt Michelle, my mom, etc.). It’s possible I’m just dumb but I think it’s that the book is very overwritten.
Anyway, the takeaway here is that Mark H.K Choi’s books could probably be poetic, lovely pieces for me if a good editor could strip back some of the weird fluff. And I might like them considerably more if the characters were not so detestable. If I were a kinder person, rating on merit alone, this would actually be a 1.75 rounded up. But, this experience can only be described as one star for me. Please don’t take this personally. I really hope this author doesn’t read reviews. I’m sure she’s a nice lady.
(cover and end papers, 5 star, omg)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder
Minor: Vomit