I snatched up a copy of this book at a local used bookstore. I had heard some positive buzz over the years, but I'm not normally a memoir reader so I didn't know much about the author or the subject going in. But from the first chapter, it was clear that I was going to read something raw, vulnerable, and special.

Zauner's prose is excellent, providing vivid portraits of her mother and rich descriptions of food. Not only does Zauner infuse people, places, and meals with life, but I appreciated the way she used all of her stories to show the reader something important (rather than just stating it outright). Cooking, for example, was a comforting way of conveying being at home, but the inability to cook various Korean dishes was also emblematic of Zauner's complicated relationship with her Korean-ness. Zauner also conveys so much love, fear, and desperation during the chapters where she becomes a caretaker for her mother, and it's easy to feel sympathy and be moved by her words.

I also appreciated the vulnerability that Zauner showed the reader through her stories. Not only does she include moments when she didn't necessarily make the best decisions or when she fought with her mom, but she also confessed to some thoughts that feel both horrible and understandable. The effect is that the reader gets a powerful look at the messiness that comes with being alienated from one's own culture and with being tasked with caring for a sick parent.

In the end, this book left me teary-eyed. I loved the complex navigation of language, food, and culture as well as the reflection on the way that love between a mother and her daughter can be fraught yet appreciative and genuine at the same time.

TL;DR: Crying in H Mart is a well-crafted memoir about identity, family, and caring for a terminally ill parent. With lovely prose and raw honestly, this book details Zauner's journey, "coming home" to herself just as her mother slips away.