Crying in H Mart: The Number One New York Times Bestseller
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‘A beautiful, intimate and hunger-inducing portrait of grief, race, heritage and coming to know yourself through what you eat.’ – Stylist ‘Books of the Year’
‘As good as everyone says it is and, yes, it will have you in tears. An essential read for anybody who has lost a loved one, as well as those who haven’t’ – Marie–Claire
The New York Times bestseller from the Grammy-nominated indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast, an unflinching, deeply moving memoir about growing up mixed-race, Korean food, losing her Korean mother, and forging her own identity in the wake of her loss.
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band – and meeting the man who would become her husband – her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.
It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.
Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.
‘Possibly the best book I’ve read all year . . . I will be buying copies for friends and family this Christmas.’ – Rukmini Iyer in the Guardian ‘Best Food Books of 2021’
‘Wonderful . . . The writing about Korean food is gorgeous . . . but as a brilliant kimchi-related metaphor shows, Zauner’s deepest concern is the ferment, and delicacy, of complicated lives.’ – Victoria Segal, Sunday Times, ‘My favourite read of the year’
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Additional information
| Publisher | Picador, Main Market edition (3 Mar. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 256 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1529033799 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1529033793 |
| Dimensions | 13 x 2.3 x 19.7 cm |
by Audrey Haylins
Last year, I committed to reading one memoir every month and have since enjoyed some fascinating, real-life stories, some of the celebrity kind, but mostly about ordinary people and their extraordinary experiences.
This account by Michelle Zauner disappointingly falls into neither category. In terms of “memoir,” it mostly revolves around the death of her mother from colon cancer, with some references to the challenges of being biracial and connecting with her Korean roots.
By far the greatest part of the book, however, is taken up by descriptions of Korean food: buying the ingredients, preparing and cooking them, and then eating the final dishes. Whole pages devoted to gushing prose about this or that culinary experience.
Okay, so food was the thing that connected Zauner to her mother. But, I got that message within the first two chapters. I didn’t need it rammed down my throat ad nauseum. About half way through, I started skipping the “foodie” pages completely.
Zauner can write; there’s no doubt about that. The chapters describing her mother’s slow decline and death are visceral and poignant. But, the book as a whole feels terribly self-indulgent. There is nothing in it that is particularly remarkable; no profound insights or lessons.
My feeling is that Zauner wrote this “memoir” as a form of personal catharsis. And if she achieved this, then I’m happy for her. For me, though, the hype is totally overblown. Except, perhaps, if you’re keen to know how to cook authentic Korean food.
Thanks for reading my review. I hope you found it helpful. You can find more candid book reviews on my Amazon profile page.
by innovationresearcher
A beautifully written book where food and love of a dying mother come together, effecting greater understanding. Just a little tedious hearing so much about the food, hence 4 not 5, but a good read nonetheless.
by Amazon Customer
She captures so well the often-fraught mother/daughter relationship as well as having parents from a different country (like myself). I thought it was a heartbreaking but gorgeous book about grief and the links to food we have with people.
by Christine Smith
Needed to review in a book club.
Interesting but difficult to follow all the unusually-named recipes.
Too much like a young girl’s diary fory liking, sorry.
by Izzah Tiama
The food descriptions made me want to eat haha. This is a better book than expected.
by Ignacio
A must for people looking to be hooked in memories that span between joy, sadness and love, all these cleverly stitched together by food
by Ben O’Brien
I absolutely loved this book, not just because I’m a fan of Japanese Breakfast because her music career takes a back-seat compared to food, family, love and grief. Michelle’s descriptions of food make you want to hit up Uber Eats and order Korean food at 11pm while you’re sitting in bed reading.
by Amazon Customer
Read it in one sitting , a wonderful read, evocative and moving, now going to try my hand at making kimchi !