Zauner is a musician known as 'Japanese breakfast' and i went into this not knowing anything about her at all but i had seen everyone rave about this memoir so had to see what i was missing!
What I liked from the onset was that it actually read like fiction so even if memoirs aren't your thing you would enjoy this . It's a tale about grief, loss and lots of Korean food!
We follow Zauner through childhood memories of her relationship with her mother to the cancer diagnosis that lead to her mothers death and then how she dealt with the loss soon after . Zauner reconnects to her Korean heritage through food and the aisles of H Mart showing the reader how food is used to create memories and love and not just for consuming . I loved all the descriptions of food items and i actually learnt a lot about the Korean culture . It's a heart breaking read at times and will get you to think about your own relationship with your mother .
We also get a brief glimpse into how she started off in the music industry which adds more to the book.

To sum up , i loved this memoir and despite having nothing in common with Zauner i felt really connected by the end .

A hard hitting, emotional story of grief. Navigating the loss of her mother to cancer. She tells us her story through food and how everything reminds her of her mother, whilst also finding some sort of solace through food by the end.

I found this book to be incredibly moving and brilliantly written. I was delighted to read it while listening to Michelle Zaunier's great current album (plug, plug). It captures the confusion and decentering that being of mixed heritage does to you. It also evokes what it is like to not understand what is going on with your parents as you are growing up, and the decisions you make as a result. An easy five stars from me.

I loved this so much. It’s a memoir of Zauner’s late mother but also of herself; of her grief and of her growth. It was emotional and tough to read at times but it was also educational, teaching me lots about a food culture - Korean - that I knew little about. Crying in H Mart is not a misery memoir despite the subject matter, ending on a happy and hopeful note for Zauner.

I'm not going to lie, this book absolutely broke me and was an incredibly hard read but I absolutely adored it. I honestly cried my way through a huge chunk of it and even though it broke me, I felt a little bit put back together at the end.

Crying In H Mart is a stunningly beautiful, well written and tender yet brutal memoir which looks at the relationship between Michelle and her mother and how this relationship is impacted by her mothers battle with cancer and her devastating death.

Michelle shows the full raw and honest range of grief and doesn't shy away from the uglier sides of such as the rage and jealousy that can overtake people.

Their relationship and journey is also looked at through the medium of food and the memories and emotions that it can bring back. This too is done with such a tenderness, the comfort that she receives from this nostalgia just floats from the page.

I'm not sure I can say much more about this breathtaking book besides please go read it.

Crying in H Mart has received a lot of attention and hype online and there's a good reason for this as well. In Michelle Zauner's memoir, she tells us what it was like growing up as the only Asian American in her school, her often strained relationship with her mother (which was more relaxed the summers they spent in Seoul at Michelle's grandmother's house) and life when her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when Michelle was 25 years old.

Zauner is unflinching at times when discussing her mother's illness and the devastating effects on her family, the book is so raw and brutally honest. It shows the difficulties of being a carer for someone who is sick and the states you nurse them through. There is also tenderness and love, as well as humour to lift the mood at times. The title of the book stems from the H Mart shops in America, a brand of Korean supermarkets. Zauner speaks a lot about Korean food, the role it played in her life growing up and as an adult, to her mother's relationship to it during her illness, as well as how Zauner has used it after her mother died as a way to help process her grief, stay connected to that side of her culture and find comfort. A tough read at times but an interesting one

Crying in H Mart follows Michelle Zauner during the illness and subsequent death of her mother in 2014. Throughout the memoir Zauner takes the reader on a journey of the Korean food which bonded her and her mother, as well as examining their relationship, and its impact it had on her life. Zauner also explores her relationship with her father but the book predominately examines the mother-daughter dynamic.

Zauner certainly offers a raw examination on grief, death, illness, and the role she played in her mother's final months. The book is incredibly honest in how it explores the relationships of those around her, and the impact it has had on her life. Despite the topic of the book, Zauner doesn't sugarcoat her relationship with her mother and father, which leads to a grounded depiction on parent-child relationships and grief.

Whilst there are moments of deep emotion throughout, it is interspersed with some surface level stories which sometimes detract from the overall tone of the book but this is only a minor aspect. Overall, this is a solid memoir.

I absolutely loved this book!

The book was beautifully written and very emotional without being sentimental. I gained valuable insight into the Asian-American experience, and as a result thought about issues I would never have done before reading this book. I would highly recommend.

Thank You to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

One of my reads of the year so far. This delicious (sorry) and book perfectly interweaves memoir, travel and food writing to create an honest portrayal of Michelle Zauner's relationship with her mother and her Korean heritage/being mixed race, while also telling the story of her mother's ultimately terminal cancer.

Despite its subject matter, Zauner's way of writing, smatterings of humour and the way everything linked to food, meant that even when laying bare the realities of her mother's illness or how it felt after she had died, the book never felt too much emotionally (though tears were shed), nor too introspective or overstated.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loved books such as Tiny Moons, What She's Having or even Ruby Tandoh's Eat Up. Just don't pick it up when you're hungry...

For anyone who has lost a parent, this memoir is hard hitting. Michelle Zauner shares her experience of growing up as a Korean American and is brutally honest in telling her story, especially when talking about grief.
Navigating through the grief of losing her mother to cancer, she writes about their complex relationship and their Korean heritage. Food played a pivotal role in their relationship and it is through cooking Korean food after her mother's death that Zauner finds some form of solace.

"Every time I remember that my mother is dead, it feels like I'm colliding into a wall that won't give...a reminder of the immutable reality that I will never see her again."

This memoir by singer-songwriter @jbrekkie burrowed deep into my heart and refused to leave. It chronicles Michelle’s life, her relationship with her family, and her beloved mother’s death - from cancer, aged 56 - with tenderness, care and incredible courage. I was hooked on this short memoir from page one, and finished with tears in my eyes.

Zauner is an exceptional writer, creating magic in a simple, conversational prose style. She delves into her Korean background as well as her relationship with her mum, both of which are held up by a deep reverence for food. Zauner’s food descriptions are simply magical - a porridge is not just a mixture of carbs and water, but “a beautiful milky-white colour… soft and soothing”. Korean dishes are mentioned in almost every chapter, some explained, some not, but Zauner returns to her mother’s favourites repeatedly. It’s a beautiful element of the memoir, and anyone with an appreciation for food will be hooked on these pages.

The chronicle of her mother’s decline into illness is really tough to read, largely due to its specificity - I both related to Chongmi’s pain and had empathy for Michelle’s horror at this cruel disease. She spares absolutely no detail and it is immensely tough reading, a reminder that cancer is crueller, more complex, and more devastating than the majority of art and culture shows it to be. There is no inspirational battle here, no moments of levity - just pain and suffering that brings death in its wake. It’s a testament to Zauner’s skills as an author and to her courage.

Zauner’s career comes into focus at the very end of the book, but her love of music is mentioned throughout - her band, Japanese Breakfast, are both pretty successful and very good. But this is Zauner’s family’s story, and it’s a beautifully crafted one. Deeply melancholy and heartfelt, this is certainly a stand-out book of the year for me.

“I remember these things clearly because that was how my mother loved you, not through white lies and constant verbal affirmation, but in subtle observations of what brought you joy, pocketed away to make you feel comforted and cared for without even realizing it.”

This is a wonderfully tender memoir by musician and author Michelle Zaunder about her late mother Chongmi who died of cancer when the author was 25, and the ties that bind you to someone who has gone, in this case through Korean food (H Mart being a Korean supermarket). It is intimate, quietly devastating and full of humour and grace.

A New York Times bestseller, the book charts the author’s complex relationship with her mother (one that many people will identify with), and how growing up as a Korean American impacted on the relationship. It’s a study on grief, on love, on caring for a loved one and on finding comfort in the aftermath of a loved one’s death. There is humour in it too and you’ll be smiling with tears in your eyes at times reading it. 4/5 ⭐️ (tw: cancer, death - this will be a very tough read for some people)

Interestingly the author wrote an essay for the New Yorker in 2018, from which this book grew. It’s worth a read too. ❤️

**I read an advance digital copy of this book, courtesy of the publisher @picador @panmacmillan via @netgalley. As always, this is an honest review. Crying in H Mart will be published this week on 5 August.**

'Crying in H Mart' is a beautiful, heart-breaking memoir about Michelle Zauner's relationship with her mother and how it changed and evolved from childhood to teenagehood to adulthood when her mother was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Interweaved through the recounting of her life as a biracial American, Zauner talks about the food she and her mother shared and the way it connected them not just to each other, but to their shared Korean culture.

Zauner's writing pulls forth with it emotion. From every word, you can feel pain and hurt and joy and nostalgia, no matter what. I imagine it's the same sort of feeling you get from listening to her music. There are moments so visceral and heartbreaking - mainly because we will all have to go through the process of a parent dying at some point in life - that you want to burst into tears. Perhaps some of the more empathetic among us will do just that.

It's really hard to properly describe the sensation of reading this book, because it's someone's life. I found a particular joy in how she spoke about food and making dishes she remembered from childhood to help her through the first few months of grief after her mother's passing. Her descriptions of Seoul are even more tantalizing; it gave me a brief moment of wanderlust in a time where travel has all but evaporated.

If you're looking for a touching, raw, brilliant memoir, 'Crying In H Mart' should be added immediately to your TBR.

I essentially cried my way through this book. I keep saying it but this year is the year of the memoir for me reading-wise. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It’s amazing how much memory is tied to food, it’s the same for me. I remember eating at places with friends, the meals we cooked, the foods my grandma would make, it’s basically how I remember everything. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I loved @jbrekkie Zauner’s writing, it’s emotive without ever being cheesy (not that I think that anything is wrong about cheesy), there is a clarity there in her writing that is amazing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A lot of North American publishing is not my thing but this book was just brilliant and I highly recommend it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had never heard of Michelle Zauner before nor of Japanese Breakfast, but obviously went on a deep dive since.

I’ve been really keen to read this book ever since finding the opening section - Crying in H Mart - in The New Yorker. I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed by the full memoir.

Zauner writes about mother-daughter relationships, grief, family, and identity beautifully. The writing is captivating, evocative, and enchantingly understated. She is pragmatic about loss, yet equally vulnerable, and beautifully interweaves vivid descriptions of Korean culture and food throughout for a largely unique reading experience

I highly recommend this read.

***thanks to NetGalley and Picador for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"It used to be so clear to me, the difference between living and dying. My mother and I had always agreed that we'd rather end our lives than live on as vegetables. But now that we had to confront it, the shreds of physical autonomy torn more ragged every day, the divide had blurred".

A strikingly beautiful memoir, expressed through actions worth a thousand words and a connection forged over the love of food, Michelle delivered something simple, yet powerful. She recollects losing her mother to cancer, a new-found appreciation for their relationship and how she overcame the pain, as well as efforts to build a connection with her father.

There is something powerful about a connection forged outside of language. The despair throughout the book, especially when Michelle was unable to understand her mother's pleas and conversations with their temporary caregiver - Kai.

The book is raw and honest. Unsurprisingly, whilst things worked out for Michelle, it's not a happy ending, but more of an acceptance and arguably even closure. Beautifully delivered and now I have a craving for Korean food. Great work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

#CryingInHMart #NetGalley

Indie musician Michelle Zauner’s, aka Japanese Breakfast, memoir Crying in H Mart is a beautiful memoir about music, family, identity and food. Crying in H Mart has received a lot of hype and it deserves every bit of it. This memoir is so vulnerable yet so beautifully written.

The majority of the memoir is dedicated to Zauner’s relationship with her mother and dealing with her mother’s cancer and death. This was difficult to read and I had to put the book down a few times and have a little cry. Parts of this hit really close to home for me but the way Zauner writes about her grief deserves all the awards because I don’t know how someone can write so eloquently and beautifully about such a difficult experience.

Identity and belonging are also a major theme in the memoir as Zauner writes about her relationship with her Korean identity. Zauner’s mother was Korean and her father is American. The memoir tackles place and no fully identifying with either side of her family completely. This is also about identity and music. A section of the memoir that really struck me was when Zauner discusses identifying with musicians. A small section of the memoir is dedicated to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their lead singer, Karen O:

“Karen O made music feel more accessible, made me believe it was possible that someone like me could one day make something that meant something to other people.”

Karen O was born in South Korea and is an American musician. Rock and indie music is so white and it was so important to see this addressed in the early parts of Zauner’s memoir and how representation and accessibility is important.

Finally, this book is about food. It starts with H Mart. The food writing is truly exceptional and Zauner’s links to food and memory are absolutely fascinating and something I want to explore further. Her relationship with her mother can be told through food, whether that be the highs, lows, or difficult parts of their relationship.
I received a review copy of this but I am pre-ordering it immediately. As a music memoirs researcher, there’s so much of this I want to analyse. As a book lover, it is a memoir I think everyone should read. This is going to stay with me for a long time.

I started crying on the first few pages as Zauner encapsulated her journey through grief and the waves that it takes you on. A highlight in particular is how food, sharing and feeding people is affection in the Asian community. It's the small things and tweaks that are picked up through cooking for others, through actions rather than words - but always around food. Coming from an East Asian background, this book was comforting, depicting feelings and things that I have experienced in moments of grief and pain, giving answers and reassuring, as if to say, this is how we grieve and it is okay.

I was provided with an ebook copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this.

Wow.

A truly thought-provoking memoir from Michelle Zauner covering her mother's death, grief, her Korean-American identity and her connection to her mother via food. This book was absolutely stunning, beautifully written and deeply evocative.

This book will make you want to eat Korean food, cry and hug your mother.

Phenomenal. Just read it.

Crying in H Mart is one of the first memoirs I have read and I have to say that I was not disappointed. It had lovely lyrical writing that entranced me into the story. This memoir helped give me more of an insight into Asian food and culture as well as grief , finding and making your identity. I think this memoir discuses important subjects which made me love this book even more .I definitely recommend this to anyone looking to read this or pick up a memoir.