Crying in H Mart

Crying in H Mart popped up on my radar about the time it was published, but it never made it on to my "to be read" list. Not until my daughter read it and highly recommended it. She told me that I'd love it. And that it would make me cry.

Michelle Zauner is a Korean/American young woman who writes about the relationship she has had with her mother and with Korea as she remembers her mother and her mother's recent death. After her mother is diagnosed with cancer, the author moves back home to help with her mother's care. She was 25 at the time, trying to figure out her life.

At times, the story is gut-wrenching. I mean, losing your mother is difficult at any age. And it can be difficult to read about.

A big part of the relationship between the author and her mother had to do with food. Specifically ethnic Korean food. Which I always find so interesting since my relationship with my mother had almost nothing to do with food.

Interesting personal note about H-Mart. H-Mart is an American grocery store that sells Asian ingredients and food products. I miss living near an H-Mart even though I never stepped foot into the one that was just a few miles from my house. I  had a large Asian SUPER store just a few miles further away and smaller Asian markets very close to both home and work. H-Mart took over the space that previously had been my regular supermarket... and yet I never made it inside. Now a regret.

I hope Michelle Zauner is doing well now. She will never not miss her mother. Especially not as she is walking through H Mart.