reese_the_reader 's review for:

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
4.0
emotional reflective sad medium-paced

I love Michelle Zauner's band, Japanese Breakfast, so I had to pick this one up. I loved learning about how she started the band and the references to the different songs on Psychopomp (especially "In Heaven," which is one of my favorite Japanese Breakfast songs). But what I enjoyed reading about more was the tender yet complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter who were separated by so many things—cultural ties, language, and clashes during Zauner's adolescence—but ultimately came closer together and found they had more in common than they'd initially thought. I also enjoyed the conversation about how grief can change the way we think about our loved ones, dead and alive, and how we can still get closer to our loved ones after they die by examining the things they loved, such as their family or food. I also appreciated the discussion about the role of a housewife and mother and how these roles hold more value than is typically given in society.