Book Review: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Book Details
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Format: Physical Books
Page Count: 320
Listening Time: 8 hours 16 minutes
Print Publisher: Knopf
Audio Publisher: Random House Audio
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Book Review and Rating
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is one of those books I knew I would enjoy reading yet kept delaying for no reason. Finally last week I dove into it on audio, read by the author, and no surprise… I loved it.
This is a memoir that delves into the relationship between child and parent, daughter and mother, through life and death. Michelle’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer when Michelle was twenty-five, bringing their family to an incredibly hard period in their lives.
Michelle reflects on the teenage years of angst and parental expectations, along with her experience as an Asian American kid growing up in Eugene, Oregon. She recounts the time spent caring for her mother and grieving for the years they won’t have together.
As much as this book sits in grief, the main mood from the book wasn’t sadness (for me), it was reflection and appreciation. It was full of both life and death, without one overshadowing the other. I felt her emotions and her desperation to absorb her mother’s lessons and essence into herself. And I felt her growth and acceptance, and her raw look at life going forward.
If you are someone who loves books that break your heart or someone who loves a raw memoir with candid humor sprinkled in, this is a wonderful choice. Don’t put it off as long as I did – it’s a gem.
My Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Content warnings: Terminal illness, Death, Grief
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Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Click here to purchase this book via our affiliate link. Any purchases made through these links support Ibrah Reads at no additional cost to you.
libro.fm (audiobook)