Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-03 03:31:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Michelle Zauner
- ISBN：0525657746
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Miranda Reads
，
I had no idea what I was getting into。。。 and now I'm just all out sobbing at the thought of losing my mother。 Best book I've read in a long timeFull review to comehuge thank you to Knopf Publishing Group for sending this my way I had no idea what I was getting into。。。 and now I'm just all out sobbing at the thought of losing my mother。 Best book I've read in a long timeFull review to comehuge thank you to Knopf Publishing Group for sending this my way 。。。more
Patrick
，
This is a beautifully written heart wrenching account of Michelle Zauner's （Who before this book came out was most famous for being Japanese Breakfast， but I think after this book hits the shelves she will be better known for this。 It's excellent and unforgettable。） family dealing with her mother's terminal cancer。 I read the first chapter and I thought I knew what I was in for。 It's excellently written and it pulls you into what I knew was going to be a sad story filled with memories of food， a This is a beautifully written heart wrenching account of Michelle Zauner's （Who before this book came out was most famous for being Japanese Breakfast， but I think after this book hits the shelves she will be better known for this。 It's excellent and unforgettable。） family dealing with her mother's terminal cancer。 I read the first chapter and I thought I knew what I was in for。 It's excellently written and it pulls you into what I knew was going to be a sad story filled with memories of food， and Zauner's memories of her mother。 Still。 This didn't prepare me for the rest of the book。 She doesn't simply write about the surface level of her grief。 She dives deep and examines the loss from all sides。 She examines the relation with her parents， between her parents， all while examining her own identity as the only non-white kid in the town she grew up in。If you've ever lost someone this book is going to open those old wounds。 Zauner captures the delicate pain/anger/blankness you feel in vivid detail。 She captures the pain of being a caretaker for someone who never needed one。And， before you get the wrong idea。 This book is also really sweet and funny。 The descriptions of the visits to Seoul are a lot of fun。 The story about the visit to the spa the first time her parents met her boyfriend， hilarious。 There's lots of heartbreak， but there are lots of things to make you heart soar。 It's a love story， in parts。 Zauner including unflattering facts about everyone， but especially the extent to which her and her mother didn't get along added a depth to this memoir that was unexpected。 I thought it would be a story of grief， （and culinary delights） from that first chapter， but I did not expect to get such a deep reading on what set them apart， which made it when they were able to bond and come together at the end so much more satisfying （and heart breaking。） One final thought about this book: The scenery was written in a beautiful novelistic way。 I felt like I was walking in the streets of Seoul， I could see the house in Eugene were she grew up。 She has a knack for description that not only lets you know how something feels/looks like， but it makes you want to reread the sentences because of their impeccable beauty。I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book from Netgalley。 This did not affect my review。 。。。more
Zoe
，
Crying in H Mart is an engaging and personal exploration of identity， family， loss and life， and food。 Michelle is a likable and eloquent narrator; her writing flows naturally enough that it is easy to read and enjoy， but with enough imagery and detail to add beauty to the everyday scenes and the tragic， heartfelt moments。This wasn't a book that I consumed quickly and urgently; instead， it was one that I enjoyed bit by bit， often with long breaks between chapters。 Occasionally， I found myself sk Crying in H Mart is an engaging and personal exploration of identity， family， loss and life， and food。 Michelle is a likable and eloquent narrator; her writing flows naturally enough that it is easy to read and enjoy， but with enough imagery and detail to add beauty to the everyday scenes and the tragic， heartfelt moments。This wasn't a book that I consumed quickly and urgently; instead， it was one that I enjoyed bit by bit， often with long breaks between chapters。 Occasionally， I found myself skipping through some of the lengthier descriptions of food， but despite this I still loved the ongoing image of food bringing people closer to each other and to their own sense of self。With thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for my ARC。 。。。more
Shari
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Warning: This book may break your heart。 But it's very much worth the read， and then some。 I was initially attracted to this book because of the catchy cover and especially the title， as I am a huge H Mart fan and love shopping there whenever I can。 When I read the description， it gave me pause， because it does chronicle the ending of her mother's life to cancer。 My mom died of cancer as well， 20 years ago， and some days the wounds are as fresh as the day she died。 But I plowed ahead anyway。Mich Warning: This book may break your heart。 But it's very much worth the read， and then some。 I was initially attracted to this book because of the catchy cover and especially the title， as I am a huge H Mart fan and love shopping there whenever I can。 When I read the description， it gave me pause， because it does chronicle the ending of her mother's life to cancer。 My mom died of cancer as well， 20 years ago， and some days the wounds are as fresh as the day she died。 But I plowed ahead anyway。Michelle Zauner is in a popular band called Japanese Breakfast， and wrote this book originally as an article published in The New Yorker。 Her mother is Korean， and her father is white， and she grew up in Eugene， Oregon feeling as if she's half in one world and half in another。 As an independent and headstrong woman， she butted heads with her mother frequently in her teenage years， and in growing up and trying to make it as a musician in Philadelphia。 Until one day she got "the phone call"。After her mother's cancer diagnosis， she moves back to Eugene， Oregon to help her mother get through her treatments and spend as much time with her as possible。 I don't want to get too deep into the details of the story， because the journey in this book is emotional and personal and deserves to be read。 I felt like I was there to bear witness to her grief and anguish， and in doing so， share some of mine which paralleled when my mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma， a very aggressive type of brain cancer。This book will make you cry。 This book made me cry through so much of it。 Cathartic， perhaps， but also I was sniffly most of the way through this book。 I had to read something else for awhile here and there just to give myself some breathing space。 There was a special scene at her mother's death where her dad took off her mother's wedding ring and placed it onto Michelle's finger on her right hand and a keepsake。 I cried as I read it， remembering my mother's wedding ring that I still have in my own jewelry box。One of the best yet painful memoirs I've ever read to date。 I'm still processing her story， as I just finished it last night but wanted to get a review out while the details were still fresh in my mind。 Having lost my mother when I was 25， there were so many parallels in her story and mine。 We both shared that helpless feeling of not being able to fix it， how to navigate a world where a strong mother was the dominant force in your family， and the dreams of my mom after her passing that were so similar to hers。I received an early release copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion， however it in no way influenced my review。 This was one I would be reading regardless。 。。。more
kyle
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Really really great。 Pulls at the heartstrings from first to final chapter。
Helen
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I just ugly cried my way through this one。 Don't hesitate， pick it up when it comes out！！ I just ugly cried my way through this one。 Don't hesitate， pick it up when it comes out！！ 。。。more
Teri
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A beautiful， heart wrenching novel that tells the story of a mother and daughter through Korean food。 I could almost smell the dishes they made， the detail and care that goes into the descriptions makes the “food” a main character。 Ultimately this is a story of survival and healing， and the path to get to that point。 I highly recommend this boo。** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book。
Sunaina Rao
，
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 This books is as beautiful as it is wrought with pain。 Zauner gives us an incredibly intimate and honest look into her relationship with her mother before， during， and after her death from cancer。 At times I was surprised with how frank and honest she was - laying bare her grief for us to examine。But this is not a narrative tale。 Each chapter felt like an essay exploring a new and different way that our cultures and our grief snake their way into the tiny crevice Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 This books is as beautiful as it is wrought with pain。 Zauner gives us an incredibly intimate and honest look into her relationship with her mother before， during， and after her death from cancer。 At times I was surprised with how frank and honest she was - laying bare her grief for us to examine。But this is not a narrative tale。 Each chapter felt like an essay exploring a new and different way that our cultures and our grief snake their way into the tiny crevices of our lives。 The novel is the combination of a love letter， an apology note， and a reflection on the author's family。 The mistakes she's made paired with the beautiful moments she has shared。 I blew through this book once I was able to give myself over to the fact that is was absolutely going to make me cry and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing。 As a first generation American and someone who has lost a parent， the stories cut deep but Zauner's writing style kept me going rather than tempting me to step away。Intertwined in this book are snippets of the author's relationship with her now-husband and bandmate， which is incredible because of how much it endured during the years detailed in this book。 In fact， there is a lasting love and appreciation the author holds for so many of the characters in this book， which makes it a really wonderful read。 Can't wait until this book can hold a place on my bookshelf。 。。。more
Anna
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A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I love multicultural memoirs and admire authors who are willing to share their personal stories so that others who can only stand to gain from the opportunity to walk into someone else's shoes。 I'll be the first to admit that I'm far from a culinary queen， so much of the food talk went straight over my head。 I can， however， relate to a mother who continuously demonstrates her love through cooking。 I can also understan A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I love multicultural memoirs and admire authors who are willing to share their personal stories so that others who can only stand to gain from the opportunity to walk into someone else's shoes。 I'll be the first to admit that I'm far from a culinary queen， so much of the food talk went straight over my head。 I can， however， relate to a mother who continuously demonstrates her love through cooking。 I can also understand how losing one's mother would bring about an unparalled grief and I'm not ashamed to admit that a cried。 A beautiful， heartbreaking read and I thank Zauner for sharing her story。 Recommended it today on our weekly Facebook Live librarian's recommended reads episode。 。。。more
Shane Longoria
，
listening to psychopomp， don’t text。
annie
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"I called to her in two languages。 Even then I must have known that no one would ever love me as much as she would。"vivid and heartbreaking。 this was such a gorgeous memoir of grief， loss， and love， and michelle zauner did such a phenomenal job capturing the person her mother was in this book。 i'm so glad i got the chance to read an arc of this， as i loved it completely。 zauner is a talented musician and also a skilled memoirist; she writes about people and places and food so clearly that they s "I called to her in two languages。 Even then I must have known that no one would ever love me as much as she would。"vivid and heartbreaking。 this was such a gorgeous memoir of grief， loss， and love， and michelle zauner did such a phenomenal job capturing the person her mother was in this book。 i'm so glad i got the chance to read an arc of this， as i loved it completely。 zauner is a talented musician and also a skilled memoirist; she writes about people and places and food so clearly that they seem to jump off the page。 this was such an amazing memoir that filled me with so many emotions， and i highly recommend preordering a copy if you can。 。。。more
Ithil
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I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review。 All opinions my own。 CW: cancer， terminal illness， death of parent Although I am not a very non-fiction kind of person， I am trying to encourage myself to read more books that I would not read spontaneously， but that I think I would enjoy if I just give them the chance。 In this case， it was the way that the author talked about food in the blurb， it brought me memories from home。 Whilst not so racially charged and with many differences， I I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review。 All opinions my own。 CW: cancer， terminal illness， death of parent Although I am not a very non-fiction kind of person， I am trying to encourage myself to read more books that I would not read spontaneously， but that I think I would enjoy if I just give them the chance。 In this case， it was the way that the author talked about food in the blurb， it brought me memories from home。 Whilst not so racially charged and with many differences， I am an immigrant in another country， as was my mother， and food and flavour bring similar memories to me。 I can prove it with the huge bottles of cola cao that I hoard in my pantry。Mainly， I absolutely adored the way it was written。 I found it very accessible despite some hard themes。 It was not unnecessarily adorned， or tedious。 Despite sometimes narrating challenging moments， overall， I felt it as a very page turning and interesting book。 It was such a delight to read， as it felt like reading a letter from a close friend。 I really enjoyed how she described her relation with her family， as I found it very relatable for myself， but also for many people around my age in one way or another。 Maybe not because of Michelle being mixed race， but wanting to pursue her dream as a musician， growing up in a tiny and isolated village， parents with very high expectations， studying away from home， or having a terminal illness in the family。 I don’t know， I felt as there were many points in which the reader could feel that their lives are not so different but very relatable。 It was very interesting for me， at a personal level， reading about her travels to Korea as it was evocative of my own travel to my mother’s country when I was younger。 Her way of dealing with the people and the whole experience of being in a country from which you are from， but at the same time aren’t， is a very specific one and I think she managed to make it widely accessible even for people who may not have had that experience growing up。 I sometimes found myself marvelled on how accurately she could describe some acts and inner feelings that I may have felt， but was unable or incapable of describing。 Despite the situation， Michelle narration was a true delight and I found her introspective narration engaging and very interesting to read。 Even people with similar experiences would not have similar feelings or reacted way different but she makes it easily understandable and even relatable to any similar experience you may have had。 Again， it was one of the things I enjoyed the most。 I wanted to keep reading and reading out of interest and concern on how would her life continue and what was going to happen next。 Besides: the food。 The way she narrates and describes the different dishes made me so curious and intrigued to try many recipes。 I am a little bit familiar with the Korean kitchen and culture， still it has made nothing but encourage me to search and look for more ingredients and recipes and even youtube chefs to elevate the book to another whole level。 And the same goes for the music as I found myself listening to Michelle’s own one Japanese Breakfast， while reading the pages。 As to whether or not read the book， I would absolutely recommend it unless it is triggering for you in any way。 I was familiar with the author because of her music， although not a hardcore fan， and did not know much of her personal life but this is a memoir that I will probably read again and recommend to my friends and customers。 。。。more
Anna
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This made my heart so heavy that I had dreams about it。
Cammi Kaneko
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beautiful and vulnerable memoir， cried multiple times
Nicole
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This was as heart-wrenching and healing as I had hoped it would be。 I've followed Michelle Zauner's writing and her music as Japanese Breakfast for a few years， and her memoir blew me away with its explorations of memory， love， loss， and food。 I read this book in a few sittings and cried every time。 It's an incredible depiction of Zauner's relationship with her mother with all of its complexities， as mother/daughter relationships tend to have。 The vivid， sensory descriptions of Korean dishes rem This was as heart-wrenching and healing as I had hoped it would be。 I've followed Michelle Zauner's writing and her music as Japanese Breakfast for a few years， and her memoir blew me away with its explorations of memory， love， loss， and food。 I read this book in a few sittings and cried every time。 It's an incredible depiction of Zauner's relationship with her mother with all of its complexities， as mother/daughter relationships tend to have。 The vivid， sensory descriptions of Korean dishes reminded me of the importance of food as emotional， as well as physical， nourishment。The different facets of loss are so viscerally rendered at every stage， particularly the cultural dimension of grief that is felt by so many children of immigrants。 As a second gen Asian American myself， this story hit so close to home， particularly the tenuous connection we often have to our homeland through our parents。 My mother was diagnosed with two types of cancer a few years ago and I've found myself similarly trying to recreate the meals of my childhood as a way to cope， using cooking as a way to remain connected to both her and my heritage。I've never felt so understood and comforted by a book。 I appreciate the balance Michelle's prose struck between confronting the messy， ugly feelings of grief and giving space to heal and excavate meaning。Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Dylan
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so lovely。 I was a little apprehensive to start because I adore japanese breakfast and I didn't want to be disappointed but I had nothing to worry about。 great read if you are hungry， sad， or both。 considering hanging around the ne philly h mart she describes when I move back on the slim chance I meet her and get to gush irl/buy her a delicious food court meal。 so lovely。 I was a little apprehensive to start because I adore japanese breakfast and I didn't want to be disappointed but I had nothing to worry about。 great read if you are hungry， sad， or both。 considering hanging around the ne philly h mart she describes when I move back on the slim chance I meet her and get to gush irl/buy her a delicious food court meal。 。。。more
Bonniebakula
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Wonderful book！ There were very different aspects covered in this book。 It dealt with growing up with parents of different ethnicity。 It dealt with conflicts between parents and children。 It dealt with feelings about one’s handling of death。
Lala~
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First， huge thanks to the publisher for this arc I received through NetGalley！This book made me depressed and hungry， and crave for Korean food。 I wasn't too familiar with Michelle or Japanese Breakfast before I read this memoir， but 20 pages in I searched their music up and I was in love。I loved the writing， how it read unlike most nonfiction that I usually don't enjoy much。 I felt the grief shown in the book so deeply， I cried multiple times。 Detailed descriptions of various Korean food and First， huge thanks to the publisher for this arc I received through NetGalley！This book made me depressed and hungry， and crave for Korean food。 I wasn't too familiar with Michelle or Japanese Breakfast before I read this memoir， but 20 pages in I searched their music up and I was in love。I loved the writing， how it read unlike most nonfiction that I usually don't enjoy much。 I felt the grief shown in the book so deeply， I cried multiple times。 Detailed descriptions of various Korean food and the cooking process was interesting to read as someone who enjoys Korean food as well。 The struggles of growing up mixed hit close to me， and I enjoyed reading about Michelle growing to want to be closer to her mother through their shared culture and finally accepting it as a big part of her identity。I am also happy to have found a new artist to listen to。 。。。more
Kit
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**I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for an honest review**🔴this is a 3。5 star， not 3🔴I read this in one sitting because I know the pain of losing your Mom。 What this book does well that a lot of other books handling grief lack is the experiences in life that make your grief pop up （like being in an H Mart）。 The pain you can feel when she cries out for her Mom will make you bawl。 I liked that the central theme of H Mart， food， and the cultu **I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for an honest review**🔴this is a 3。5 star， not 3🔴I read this in one sitting because I know the pain of losing your Mom。 What this book does well that a lot of other books handling grief lack is the experiences in life that make your grief pop up （like being in an H Mart）。 The pain you can feel when she cries out for her Mom will make you bawl。 I liked that the central theme of H Mart， food， and the culture she shared with her Mom and that the story always came back to one of those themes。 I loved her honesty with herself， her parents， her feelings， and the conversations she had with the people in her life。 The “what if？” And “why me？” questions suck but you can tell she’s trying to work through them in the ways she knows how。 Overall， Michelle does a really beautiful job of painting pictures with her words when it comes to H Mart， the relationship with her Mom， the pain， and her grief。 。。。more
Julia Natt
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so poignant and evocative。 cracked my heart wide open
Julia
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So beautiful， so sad。 Michelle captures the grief of losing a parent to terminal illness in a way I have hardly ever been able to articulate。 Michelle， if you ever read your goodreads reviews， thank you 😭
Kim McGee
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A young Korean-American woman deals with the illness that robs her of her mother and the grief that comes after losing her。 Food connects us to where we come from， to our family， and our own history。This memoir is a celebration of that connecting her to her mother's dishes， to the food they experienced during their trips back to Korea and to Michele's recreation of those dishes in the states。 It is a powerful， painful and heartfelt story that shows the connections between mother and daughter， th A young Korean-American woman deals with the illness that robs her of her mother and the grief that comes after losing her。 Food connects us to where we come from， to our family， and our own history。This memoir is a celebration of that connecting her to her mother's dishes， to the food they experienced during their trips back to Korea and to Michele's recreation of those dishes in the states。 It is a powerful， painful and heartfelt story that shows the connections between mother and daughter， the two cultures that helped shape her and losing her mother to a horrible disease that she was felt powerless to control。 It is a story that speaks to all of us。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Sara
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I first picked up this book， not because I like the author’s music （which I do）， but because I love food memoirs。 Crying in H Mart is so much more than a food memoir though。 It is the story of a mother and a daughter， sometimes at odds， but caring deeply for each other。 This is a story of loss and grief， healing， growth， and culture。 Parts of this book are completely heartbreaking and I had to put the book down for a couple minutes。 Korean food is what ties the story all together， both Zauner ea I first picked up this book， not because I like the author’s music （which I do）， but because I love food memoirs。 Crying in H Mart is so much more than a food memoir though。 It is the story of a mother and a daughter， sometimes at odds， but caring deeply for each other。 This is a story of loss and grief， healing， growth， and culture。 Parts of this book are completely heartbreaking and I had to put the book down for a couple minutes。 Korean food is what ties the story all together， both Zauner eating it and learning to make it on her own to feel closer to her mother after her passing。To put it simply: I love this book。 I won’t say that I “enjoyed” it， because it was quite sad at times and hit pretty freaking close to home。 It was easy to read though and I really liked the author’s voice。 It is personable and feels like a friend telling me about their life。 I am also very close to my mother， so it was very difficult to read the parts where her mother is going through cancer treatments and her eventual passing。 It was beautifully and vividly written， though; I could picture the scenes in my head and feel the emotions that the author evoked。 Honestly， I’m having a hard time completely and succinctly putting my feelings for this book into words。 Just read it。 It was fantastic。 It contains so much in an unassuming package。 Be prepared for some tears， especially if you’ve lost a loved one to cancer。 Expect to get super hungry at all the delicious-sounding food mentioned。 You will commiserate with Michelle and you will root for her as she goes through her 20s to become the awesome lady she is today。One part that I had to mention: There is a whole passage about the band Modest Mouse。 I love this band。 They are my favorite band！ I am very jealous that Zauner got to see them in the early aughts， which I would argue was their best era， but it was really neat to read her description of a show she went to and the first time she went crowd surfing！ Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma
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Food， grief， and the intense， complicated love we have for our mothers。
Kelly Erickson
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An honest and moving memoir about how food connects a daughter to both her mother and her culture。Zauner does a spectacular job connecting her childhood with her adulthood stories and how she connects it to her relationship with her mother。 The pacing is good， and she never strays off the topic of her struggle to identify with her Korean heritage and both her parents。 Her descriptions of the foods are mouthwatering and no previous knowledge of Korean cuisine is needed。 I've also never read such An honest and moving memoir about how food connects a daughter to both her mother and her culture。Zauner does a spectacular job connecting her childhood with her adulthood stories and how she connects it to her relationship with her mother。 The pacing is good， and she never strays off the topic of her struggle to identify with her Korean heritage and both her parents。 Her descriptions of the foods are mouthwatering and no previous knowledge of Korean cuisine is needed。 I've also never read such a honest and unflinching description of grief before， which embraced all the ugly sides there is to being human。Absolutely recommend。 。。。more
Yoomi
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I received an ARC from Netgalley。I’m not a crier but this book had me sobbing。 I haven’t had a book hangover for a while。 I scribbled some notes while I was reading but they don’t make a coherent review。 Random things like “my mom does that too！” and “yes！ Maangchi！！” and “I have to make my daughter miyeokguk for her birthday this year。”Then， when I was done， I looked up Michelle’s band in Spotify and lay in bed with all the feelings。
Rebekah
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The descriptions of Korean food in this book are mouth watering。 The memoir revolves around the author growing up with a Korean mother and American father and the events leading up to and following her mother’s death from cancer。 I wish the author had talked a bit more about her mother and processing their relationship and her grief。
Nina
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Her art was the love that beat on in her loved ones， a contribution to the world that could be just as monumental as a song or a book。 There could not be one without the other。I truly loved everything about this memoir。 It was utterly heartbreaking throughout， and I really had to take my time reading this one。 There were so many parts that deeply resonated with me from my shared love of food and how it weaves a common thread throughout many of my family relationships， particularly the one with m Her art was the love that beat on in her loved ones， a contribution to the world that could be just as monumental as a song or a book。 There could not be one without the other。I truly loved everything about this memoir。 It was utterly heartbreaking throughout， and I really had to take my time reading this one。 There were so many parts that deeply resonated with me from my shared love of food and how it weaves a common thread throughout many of my family relationships， particularly the one with my mom。Michelle's description of her favorite childhood snacks， and the visceral experience of browsing the shelves in her local H Mart were such a treat to read。 Her honest descriptions of her sometimes volatile relationship with her parents， her mom's fading health （this part hit me the hardest）， and her raw introspection enhanced the staying power of this book for me。 Even though I finished this one a few weeks ago， I'm still thinking about it。 It also made me quite hungry reading about all the delicious Korean snacks and delicacies！Thanks to Knopf Publishing for an ARC of this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Joe Jones
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So powerful and emotional。 Especially if you lost a parent to Cancer。 Mother/daughter bonds。 Cultural identity。 Plus the food。 So much food。 I immediately wanted to see what Korean markets and restaurants are in my area。 Make this your memoir to read in 2021。
niri
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