3.5 maybe?

"I had been thinking constantly about 'han,' a feeling that had been killing generation upon generation of Korean people. According to Mom, han was born in the gut and rose to the chest... Han was a sickness of the soul, an acceptance of having a life that would be filled with sorrow and resentment and knowing that deep down, despite this acceptance, despite cold and hard facts that proved life was long and full of undeserved miseries, 'hope' was still a word that carried warmth and meaning."

An indie favorite that just wasn't for me, Pizza Girl packs a strong perspective and a skillfully told, brilliantly detailed and realistic narrative into a short package. I read it in two lightning fast sessions that were mostly fueled with uneasy fascination and literary respect as this bright, numb, miserable, pregnant, 18-year-old pizza-delivery girl zombie-walks, stumbles, and then careens toward … will it be disaster or hope, denial or revelation? (If you've followed my reviews for long, you'll probably guess that I wouldn't have given it 3 stars if there weren't at least some hope here.)

It's an interesting and well-written debut that brings up a lot to think and talk about, especially concerning grief, mental health, and family legacy. Other readers also found it funny, but I couldn't see the humor through the uneasiness.

Content notes: strong language child endangerment, pregnancy endangerment, alcoholism past and present, off screen emotional and physical abuse, firearm, first person internal monologue of person dealing with emotional trauma and depression