July 2, 2022

Crying in H Mart

Nonfiction - Memoir
2021 Random House Audio
Narrated by Michelle Zauner
Finished on June 30, 2022
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

An unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity.

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids 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, and 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 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 and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

I nominated Crying in H Mart to my book group after reading several rave reviews. We don't plan to discuss it until August, but summertime is usually pretty busy with visitors and travel, so I decided to get a jump start. I began reading the print edition of Zauner's memoir, but after a couple of chapters, switched over to audio. I was somewhat bored with the opening chapters but listening to the author narrate her story made for a more compelling experience. I'm not a big fan of authors reading their own works, and Zauner's monotone delivery could have been better, but I enjoyed hearing the pronunciation of specific foods and phrases in Korean. Despite the author's flat audio narration, some of her passages are beautifully written, bringing my attention back to her story. Food (specifically Korean food) is a large part of the narrative and while I enjoy "foodie" memoirs, I was not familiar with most of the items described. I didn't love Crying in H Mart, but anyone who has stood vigil over a loved one can't help but have their heartstrings tugged as they read about the death of Michelle's mother. Overall, this was a decent story, but not one I can recommend. I hope the women in my book group enjoy it better than I did!

10 comments:

  1. I've found that authors reading their own books are mostly 'not best' for me. Give me a trained actor if you please. Ha! Love your header picture!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kay, I especially dislike celebrity authors reading their own memoirs. Thanks for your comment about my header photo. It was taken when we were driving into Sisters, OR. I fell in love with that area and all the snowy mountains!

      Delete
  2. I listened to the audio and enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vicki, the audio improved my enjoyment of the book, but overall I wasn't as enamoured with the memoir as other readers. Glad you enjoyed it!

      Delete
  3. Hmm, I started this in print and set it aside pretty early on. Was wondering if audio may have been a better choice, but I haven't felt motivated to try it again yet...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoAnn, my first reaction is to suggest you try the audio. It was a much better experience than reading the print edition. However, I was underwhelmed and kind of wish I could get those hours back for something better.

      Delete
  4. The audio seemed like the right route on this book. I thought it was all right ... but it seemed like the mother wasn't always nice to her. It was a bit surprising how her music & band sort of took off towards the end. I was happy for her ... after the loss of her mother ... and it sounds like her early marriage has made her happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, the mother's behavior toward her daughter is one of the reasons I struggled with this book. Of course, it's a memoir and we're only hearing from the author's POV...

      Delete
  5. The foodie parts of the book were incredibly detailed, I thought.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb, I agree! I don't eat a wide range of Asian foods, so this is one of the rare occasions that I didn't feel hungry as I read.

      Delete

I may not answer your comments in a timely fashion, but I always answer. Check back soon!