Reading for Me

Last weekend, I decided to take a few days and get away for a bit to rest now that the spring semester is over. I traveled to Dallas and decided to take a listen to Crying in the H-Mart as I drove. I laughed, I cried, and I thoroughly enjoyed this touching memoir about the relationship between a daughter and her mother that centered around food and her Korean heritage.

The “H-Mart” is a Korean market that suggests taking only the food that you can carry in your arms each visit. This ensures freshness and seems to be the preference of many Korean families as they prepare their meals. Michelle’s relationship with her parents — especially her mother — has been tumultuous, largely due to Michelle’s pursuit of a music career after college. When she receives word that her mother is suffering from Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Michelle drops everything and returns home to Eugene, Oregon to assist her mother as she fights this dreaded disease. Crying in the H-Mart is largely an account of the mending of their relationship, their mutual struggles fighting (and ultimately losing) the cancer battle, Michelle’s search to remain connected to her Korean heritage, and a daughter’s desire to connect with her mother through food.

This memoir hit a little close to home. Recently, I have been very mindful of the fact that my mother will not be with me much longer — just due to the fact that she is aging, no health problems to be concerned about at the moment. Mom and I have largely connected during my adult years over books and food and trying out new recipes together. It is not what either of us expected, but it has become a very strong bond. Michelle’s account pointed out just how precious parental relationships are and shed some light on what life may be like when Mom is no longer with me. It is something that I think is healthy to think about from time to time.

Crying in the H-Mart is probably not what you are looking for if you are in search of a feel-good read. If you want to explore relationships and dealing with loss, this is an excellent book to add to your list. I highly recommend the audio book; Zauner’s inflection carries a sense of “knowing” that I don’t think a reader can fully comprehend simply by reading her words on the page. I also suggest you have a box of tissue nearby; driving while listening to this memoir is probably not the best idea. (I had to hit the pause button several times to collect myself and get out of heavy traffic before resuming my reading.)