This collection of short stories took me by surprise, in the best way.

And the more I sit and think about this book, the more I felt compelled to write something longer as I overanalyse each story again.

The core theme of the book circles around womenhood, throughout the ages. And I liked how each stories are different and stands in their own way - and making the struggles being a Korean-American amongst the theme of this collection as well.

There is something so serene with her writing, but it also screams rage and unhinged in the best way. I loved the metaphors that she had used in her stories, and each one represents a loss or hope, either in relationships, grief and even love. The thing with Gina Chung, is how she can make some of the stories so shocking that it will bring tears to your eyes - like how How To Eat Your Own Heart had made me bawled my eyes out in public (and its only 5 freaking pages), or how she can evoke and explore some emotions that you are very uncomfortable with.

But again, it all resonated to the struggles of women, motherhood and also the complex relationship of asian parents, especially with mothers and daughters and the pressure and guilt to give back to our parents. Chung has managed to write complex themes into stories with simple and straightforward nuances, and sometimes even almost mind-boggling, but also has a deep message interlaced within.

And I kind of want her to write more Sci-Fi themed, because, damn, her stories in here were really good and it had definitely made me stare at the pages for a good few minutes after finishing it.

Some of the stories that are memorable and I had very much enjoyed:

Story 1: How To Eat Your Own Heart
This one sets a tone to the collection and how you can expect it to be. The story was only 5 pages long, but it had touched something in me that I didn't know how to explain, and left me bawling in public. It was also told in such an interesting way that will leave you almost speechless.

Story 5: Presence
On grief and how pain is a relative thing in the core for humans. Imagine having a technology where we can alter and delete memories as we wish. But, will it do more good than harm? One of the stories that had spoke volumes without needing much effort.

Story 9: Attachment Processes
Again, one of her sci-fi takes, and one that I had absolutely enjoyed. Attachment processes shows how grief works differently for others, and at the end, in whichever way you choose to handle grief, only yourself can learn to forgive yourself properly.

Story 12: Honey and Sun
I felt that this particular story's writing was so ethereal, it felt almost dream-like. The writing for this particular story was so beautiful and it accentuates the sorrow for the two characters.

This is my first book from Gina Chung, and even if its my first from hers, she might be an author that I will definitely keep on the lookout for. The mix of folklore and sci-fi but also spoke volumes on what reality is makes it endearing and one that I will remember for a very long time.

Definitely a fav. Would definitely recommend for you to at least read this book once in your life.

Personal Ratings: 4.5🌟

Thank you to Pansing for this copy! I truly appreciate it :)