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A review by cass_lit
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
3.0
This was kind of a polarizing read for me personally. I didn’t realize it was a memoir until I started it, but that originally just made me more excited to read it. I liked a lot of the points, and I think the book’s biggest achievement is its vulnerability. Other people share all of the thoughts and feelings of the author (myself included on some!), and it’s great to have a resource to know you’re not alone.
However, I do think the nature of the memoir — a snippet of therapy sessions — does a disservice to some of the issues discussed. We get a tiny glimpse into her therapist’s advice, which is obviously going to be individualized and personal, but no broader level reflection or work towards “fixing” anything. There’s a lot of talk about body dysmorphia for example, and all I’m left with is that the author hasn’t fixed hers, I haven’t fixed mine, and now I know that at least some people with it are judging others on their appearance despite dealing with the same struggles! Some of the discussions just left me with a poor taste. Also, the therapist’s note at the end had me so confused…I know she knew she was being recorded, but to find out she had no idea her words would be published?!? Crazy to me.
One thing to also note is that this work is translated and is set in Korea, so these very personal issues will obviously be influenced by the culture the author grew up in. The obsession with physical appearance (and the directness in commenting on others’), for example, is very prevalent in Korea but may not be so everywhere else. Same thing with their views on social issues. I had to kind of readjust my knee-jerk reaction to certain parts of this, keeping that in mind.
However, I do think the nature of the memoir — a snippet of therapy sessions — does a disservice to some of the issues discussed. We get a tiny glimpse into her therapist’s advice, which is obviously going to be individualized and personal, but no broader level reflection or work towards “fixing” anything. There’s a lot of talk about body dysmorphia for example, and all I’m left with is that the author hasn’t fixed hers, I haven’t fixed mine, and now I know that at least some people with it are judging others on their appearance despite dealing with the same struggles! Some of the discussions just left me with a poor taste. Also, the therapist’s note at the end had me so confused…I know she knew she was being recorded, but to find out she had no idea her words would be published?!? Crazy to me.
One thing to also note is that this work is translated and is set in Korea, so these very personal issues will obviously be influenced by the culture the author grew up in. The obsession with physical appearance (and the directness in commenting on others’), for example, is very prevalent in Korea but may not be so everywhere else. Same thing with their views on social issues. I had to kind of readjust my knee-jerk reaction to certain parts of this, keeping that in mind.