Read this when
Crying in H Mart
'Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart.' If a grocery aisle has ever wrecked you, this one's for you. 🥟
Who it's for
Zauner opens with the line 'Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart,' and readers who have been ambushed by grief in ordinary places feel instantly recognised.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Crying in H Mart (Knopf, 2021) is a memoir by Michelle Zauner, a musician and the founder of Japanese Breakfast, that grew out of her 2018 New Yorker essay of the same name. It traces her relationship with her Korean mother, Chongmi, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2014. Korean food and trips to H Mart supermarkets run through the book as Zauner's link to her mother and to her heritage.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook read by the author. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: A parent's terminal cancer and death.
Age: Ages 14+
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Pain”
