Crying in H Mart is a lovely memoir about the author's transition from troubled young adult to caregiver and her journey of healing and self-discovery.

Michelle Zauner's writing is simple and descriptive. She wasn't trying to make something out of nothing in her attempt to psychoanalyze her relationship with her mother and herself. I think oftentimes memoirs try to do too much in one book and really push the limits by trying to ascribe some kind of deep emotional meaning to something far less complex than they are making it out to be for the sake of gripping an audience, leading to the whole thing feeling disingenuous. I did not have that problem with this book.

I recognize that as someone who does not have a mixed-race identity (nor immigrant parents), it is difficult to fully understand the identity struggle Zauner presents, however I do wish she had explored her themes of identity a bit more throughout this book. She mentions the struggle to seem "more white" in her early years in contrast to her struggle to seem "Korean enough" in adulthood, and I think if she had explored this a little further, it would have tied the book together more neatly. Additionally, I would have liked a bit more of the "middle" of her story. I felt as though we went from a troubled relationship in her early years to a transient mention of a reconciliation between her and her mother to full time caregiver. While I know life is often not quite so neat, and relationships are complex, I think it would've helped the flow of her story. That being said, I thought she excellently highlighted how you can have both an intimate and dissonant relationship with a parent (especially in a mother-daughter context) all at once.

Lastly, I enjoyed the theme of using food as a connection and a call to home throughout this memoir, as it really set the tone and kept the reader engaged in her "world", so to speak.