Crying in H Mart: A Memoir

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir – Michelle Zauner

Michelle Zauner, known to music fans as the singer and songwriter behind the band Japanese Breakfast, grew up as one of the few Asian American kids in her small town in Oregon. Her relationship with her Korean mother was loving but often difficult, shaped by high expectations, cultural differences and a teenage desire to fit in.

In Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Zauner tells the story of that relationship and of the devastating period when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. In her mid-twenties, Zauner returned home to help care for her, and the experience brought them closer while forcing her to confront questions about her identity and her connection to her Korean heritage.

Food is at the heart of the book. Zauner recalls the dishes her mother cooked, the meals they shared on visits to family in Seoul, and the comfort she found after her mother’s death in learning to cook Korean food herself, guided by online videos. The Korean supermarket H Mart, where she shops for familiar ingredients, becomes a place of memory and grief.

Written with honesty, humor and tenderness, the memoir explores family, love, loss, identity and the ways food can connect us to the people we have lost.

Moving and beautifully written, Crying in H Mart became a widely acclaimed bestseller. It is a powerful read for anyone who has loved and lost a parent, and for readers interested in family, culture and food. It deals with illness and grief.