“Every time I remember that my mother is dead, it feels like I’m colliding with a wall that won’t give … a reminder of the immutable reality that I will never see her again.”
Michelle Zauner, frontwoman of Japanese Breakfast, delivers a beautifully devastating memoir on grief, food and identity.
At the Elkins Park H Mart, you can find banchan, dumpling skins and Michelle Zauner crying in the freezer section. Recounting her mother’s recipes and a flood of childhood memories, she can’t help but wonder how her mother would look at 70 years old if it weren’t for the stage IV squamous-cell carcinoma that cut their time short. Now Michelle can’t help but cry in H Mart and wonder if she’s even Korean enough if her only tie to her culture is now gone.
“Crying in H Mart” is an intimate and raw look at grief, the regret we feel when there’s nothing left to do and the forgiveness we learn to give ourselves. Remembering her mother through the meals they shared, Michelle paints a picture of their relationship and how closely it ties to her sense of cultural identity. Reading this book will make you hungry for a plate of tteokbokki and more of Michelle Zauner’s writing. Luckily for fans, she will write the screenplay for the film adaptation of “Crying in H Mart.”
MGM’s Orion Pictures has announced they are bringing the book to life, directed by Will Sharpe and featuring music from Japanese Breakfast. You can pick up a copy of the book at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library or access the eBook through the Libby app.
If you’re interested in exploring our catalog of books, videos, games and audio selections, check out ngrl.org or our social media. Our operating hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday; you can reach us at (706) 876-1360.
Jessica Carrasco is the public relations coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library.